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Smoked Vanilla Ice Cream with Poached Plums
Recipe by Reece Hignell
Reece manages yet another incredibly unique and delicious dessert of Smoked Vanilla Cream with a crumbly Rosemary Meringue and juicy Charred Plums
- Steps
- Ingredients
Steps
- Prechill ice cream machine and preheat oven to 110C.
- For the Smoked Vanilla Ice Cream, place cream, milk and vanilla paste in a saucepan and heat until mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg and sugar until combined. While whisking continuously, slowly add hot cream mixture until combined. Return mixture to the saucepan and heat over a low heat, stirring until mixture thickens and reaches 82C. Remove from heat.
- Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a metal bowl set over an ice bath. Cover bowl with cling film. Using a smoking gun, ignite woodchips, place nozzle of gun under cling film and allow bowl to fill with smoke. Remove nozzle, reseal cling film tightly and smoke for 5 minutes. Uncover and whisk mixture until cool.
- Transfer mixture to ice cream churner and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Place ice cream into the freezer to set until serving.
- For the Rosemary Meringue, place sugar and rosemary leaves into a food processor and process on high speed until combined.
- Place egg white into a medium bowl and using an electric hand mixer, whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually add rosemary sugar, one teaspoon at a time, mixing well between additions. Once all of the sugar has been added, increase speed to high and whisk until meringue is thick and glossy.
- Using an offset spatula, spread meringue thinly over a silicone mat lined tray to a thickness of 1-2mm. Place in oven to bake for 35 minutes then increase oven temperature to 120C and cook until meringue is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cool. Break into shards and set aside, until serving.
- For the Charred Plums, place vanilla liqueur in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until reduced by 3/4s and slightly thickened.
- Meanwhile bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add plums until skin starting to lift, about 20 seconds. Remove from water then peel and discard skins. Cut plums in half then place into a vacuum bag. Add reduced vanilla liqueur then vacuum seal bag. Place bag in simmering water to poach for 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over medium high heat. Remove plums from bag, reserving syrup, and place plums into pan, cut side down and cook until slightly charred, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until serving.
- To serve, crumble some of the Rosemary Meringue onto each serving plate then top with a scoop of Smoked Vanilla Ice Cream. Add two Charred Plum halves and some Rosemary Meringue shards. Drizzle with vanilla liqueur syrup.
