Chocolate and beetroot ice cream This pairing works brilliantly in an ice cream – the velvety beetroot purée contributing a subtle, earthy-sweet flavour and excellent smooth texture. Go on, give it a go ... And once you’re in the swing of vegetable ice creams, try the variation. It’s a stunner – cool, minty and gorgeous. MAKES ABOUT 800ml
300g beetroot 300ml whole milk 200ml double cream 4 large egg yolks 100g caster sugar 100g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Put the beetroot into an ovenproof dish, add a 1cm depth of water, cover with foil and roast until tender: at least 1 hour, possibly longer. Leave to cool completely. Peel the beetroot, chop it roughly and purée in a blender with 100ml of the milk. Measure the purée. You should have about 300ml; it does not matter if there’s a little less, but you don’t want more. Set aside. To make the custard, heat the remaining milk and cream in a pan to just below boiling. Cool a little. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl, then pour on the hot milk and cream, whisking till smooth. Return to a clean pan. Cook gently, stirring all the time, until the custard thickens. Don’t let it boil or it will ‘split’. Remove from the heat and leave to cool until tepid, stirring often to stop a skin forming. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed in a larger bowl filled with just-boiled water, stirring from time to time. Stir the melted chocolate into the custard (don’t worry if it looks a bit grainy at this point). Stir in the beetroot purée. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug, leave to cool, then chill. Once cold, churn the mixture in an ice-cream maker until soft-set, then transfer to a suitable container and freeze until solid. (If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, freeze in a shallow container, mashing with a fork three times at hourly intervals before the mixture is solid.) Transfer to the fridge 20–30 minutes before serving, to soften a little. VARIATION
Pea and mint ice cream Make the custard as above, but use all 300ml milk with the cream. Strain the cooked custard into a bowl, cover with cling film and cool, then chill. Make a minty pea purée: simmer 350g peas with 2 mint sprigs until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and discard the mint. Blitz the peas in a blender with 4 tablespoons finely shredded mint and 2 tablespoons crème fraîche until smooth, adding a dash of milk if necessary. Stir the chilled custard and pea purée together. Taste and add a little icing sugar if necessary – the ice cream will seem less sweet once frozen. Chill, then churn or freeze as above.
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