Summer berry ice cream

This ice cream uses the meringue method which makes it creamy and delicious. You can use any summer berries...

Ingredients

• 300g fresh berries – in this recipe I have used blackberries and blueberries
• 110g caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 egg whites
• 250 ml cream

Method

• Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Dissolve the sugar by bringing to a gentle simmer. Boil until the syrup for about 5 minutes or until it reaches 120°C or the firm ball stage.
• Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. You can use a whisk or machine hand-beater
• When the sugar syrup is ready, whisk into the egg whites in a slow stream. The syrup must be bubbling as this will partially cook the whites. The mixture will go liquid at this stage, but keep whisking until the meringue thickens.
• Once the sugar has been added, whisk until the mixture is stiff and glossy. If you lift the whisk, the meringue should stay firmly in place.
• Whisk the cream. Fold into the meringue with a metal spoon.
• Fold the berries into the bowl of meringue and cream. Cover with plastic wrap. 
• Place in freezer. After about 4-5 hours or when the mixture is firm, whisk to break up the berries and cream.
• Recover with plastic wrap. Press down to form a seal. Freeze until required. It would be best used with in 2 -4 days.

Serve with meringues and fresh berries

Meringues

Ingredients

• 100g egg whites
• 100g icing sugar 

Method

• Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and will stay in the bowl when the bowl is turned upside down. 
• Add the icing sugar – one tablespoon at a time. Whisk hard to absorb the sugar before adding the next spoonful. After all the sugar is added, the mixture should be shiny with firm peaks.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spoon or pipe on the meringues.  Use a teaspoon for small meringues or a dessert spoon for larger ones. The size that you spoon on will be the final size of the baked meringue.
• Bake at 50^°C overnight, until the meringues are completed dried.
• Store in an airtight container until required. 

NOTE: If using caster sugar, make sure that all the sugar has been incorporated in the egg before adding the next batch.

For hard meringues

Bake at 110°C for 1 – 2 hours depending on their size

For soft meringues

Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes. This browns the outside but leaves the centre of the meringue moist.