Sourdough Vanilla Ice Cream with Rum-soaked Prunes
This is most definitely a recipe for grown-ups.
The secret here is the combination of a slightly salted, rich, creamy, caramel and vanilla base, combined with punchy rum-soaked prunes, and the fantastic texture you get from the crunch of dried sourdough croutons. You will only get this by first making sure that your sourdough is well and truly dry, that your plums have had adequate time to soak up the rum, and that both retain their characteristics within the ice cream by adding them at the very last minute. Use sourdough bread that is at least a couple of days old so it has had a chance to develop its full sourness.
Ingredients
- 12 prunes, quartered
- a good splash of Fair Transport Rum (enough to cover the prunes)
- 500ml organic double cream
- 5 free-range egg yolks
- 75g fair-trade muscovado sugar
- 75g fair-trade unrefined caster sugar
- 400g full-fat organic milk
- 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
- pinch of salt
- 135g sourdough bread, cut into 1cm squares
Method
The night before, put the prunes and rum into a jam jar and leave overnight. The prunes should soak up the rum, but don’t worry if there is some liquid left over; it just improves the flavour of the ice cream.
The next day, put the cream, egg yolks, sugar, milk and vanilla pod into a large saucepan. Whisk briefly to thoroughly disperse the eggs. The liquid should be the colour of butterscotch.
Place the saucepan over a low heat and whisk continuously. This is a moment to contemplate life, listen to the radio, or generally cogitate. This is not a moment to rush, or you will scramble the eggs! And that is impossible to reverse. The mixture will take about 15 minutes to thicken, which will happen just at the point it begins to boil. Add a pinch of salt and taste for the sweet-saltiness balance. Set to one side until fully cooled.
While the ice cream mixture is cooling, preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Pop the sourdough cubes on to a flat baking tray and bake for 10–15 minutes until golden. Set these croutons to one side until fully dried and completely crunchy.
Once the ice cream has fully cooled, place it in the freezer. Over the next hour and a half, remove the ice cream from the freezer and whisk every 30 minutes to get a smooth result. On the third or fourth whisk, as the ice cream is getting thick, stir in the sourdough croutons, followed by the prunes and the remaining rum. At this point, transfer the ice cream into your serving container. Continue to freeze until frozen.
You can store this in the freezer for up to three months. Remove from the freezer for 10 minutes before serving to allow the ice cream to soften a little.
Serving Suggestion
I like to serve this with a pinch of vanilla powder and cinnamon.
You could use raisins (around 100g) instead of the prunes and make rum-and-raisin ice cream instead.