Cherry, Bourbon and Honeycomb Ice Cream

Oddly, this was the first time I’d ever made honeycomb. That’s some crazy right there. In case you’ve never made it, what happens is that you melt butter, sugar and golden syrup in a pan then bubble it furiously, before chucking in some bicarbonate of soda, which makes it go BATSHIT. It expands massively, frothing up into a giant golden Crunchie. Loads of fun.

Anyway it’s lush crumbled into this ice cream, with cherries and bourbon. Fruit, booze and honeycomb. Yes please.

Cherry, Bourbon and Honeycomb Ice Cream Recipe

250g cherries, pitted
150ml bourbon
225g caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
500ml double cream
500ml whole milk
6 large egg yolks

Honeycomb (recipes all over the internet)

In a saucepan, heat the cherries with the bourbon, 50 ml water and the 2 tablespoons sugar. Simmer until reduced by about a third and the cherries are coated in a syrupy liquid. Set aside and allow to cool.

Scald the milk and cream (this means heating it until almost but not boiling, basically when bubbles start to appear around the edge, you’re done). Whisk the egg yolks and 225g sugar together until they turn pale and start to thicken. Continue whisking, and add about 1/3 of the hot milk and cream mixture to the egg mix, then when it is incorporated, add the remaining mixture (again whisking all the time).

Pour the lot into a clean, heavy based pan and cook over a low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. You can also test if it’s ready by drawing a line down the custard on the back of the spoon with your finger. If the line stays, it’s ready. A thermometer makes this much easier though. At 80 C it should be about right.

Put the custard aside in a bowl and add the cherries and most of the juice, reserving a little to drizzle over before serving. Cover by placing a layer of cling film or greaseproof paper directly on top of the custard, to stop a skin forming. Leave to cool completely.

To make the honeycomb, er, find a recipe on the internet like I did. They’re basically all the same. Once cool, break into pieces.

When the custard is well chilled, churn in an ice cream maker, stirring in some honeycomb pieces right at the end. Freeze for an hour or two before serving.