A coulis of strawberries, raspberries and red currants is layered with creamy no-churn vanilla ice cream which is studded with chunks of chewy meringue in this gorgeous summer dessert.

As this recipe makes 2 ice cream cakes, I decorated one for the family with additional coulis and candied mint leaves, and the second for guests with chocolate sauce and fresh red currants. Yummy!!!

And now I’m going on vacation for a couple of weeks… see you on the other side!

Makes: 2 x approx.  1 litre (2 pint) ice cream cakes, each serves 8 – 12
Active: 45 minutes
Chilling coulis: at least 1 hour (can be made a couple of days ahead)
Freezing: 8 hours or overnight
Keeps: 3 months in the freezer

Ingredients

700g (about 1 1/2 pounds) red berries of choice
150g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
500ml (2 cups) whole cream
1 x 397g (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
about 10 small meringues – about 2 cups when crumbled

Directions

Remove stalks/stems from berries and combine them along with the sugar and lemon juice in a heavy based saucepan and heat on low until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for about 10 minutes until the berries break down. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Strain the berry mixture through a mesh strainer into a glass or ceramic bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to chill.

Prepare 2 medium loaf pans or 1.2 litre (2 1/2 pint) plastic containers by lining completely with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang to cover the top.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream on medium-high speed until thick and fluffy, but not quite to the texture of whipped cream, 3 – 4 minutes on medium. Be careful not to overbeat, otherwise your ice cream will have a buttery mouthfeel.

Add the condensed milk and vanilla paste or extract and beat just until very soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted – it should have a thick, mousse-like consistency.

Crumble the meringues roughly and fold the meringue pieces into the cream mixture.

Pour mixture into the lined loaf pans or containers, layering it with the red berry coulis (reserving a few tablespoons of coulis for serving, if desired), finishing with a layer of the cream mixture. Cover with the overhanging plastic and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight.

To serve, uncover the top of the parfait, turn out onto a serving plate, remove plastic wrap and decorate as desired.

Candied mint leaves

1 sprig mint
1 egg white
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Carefully wash and dry the mint leaves. Moisten on both sides with egg white, then dip in sugar to coat. Place on a sheet of parchment to dry completely, at least 3 hours.

Chocolate sauce

75g (2 1/2 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
75g (2 1/2 oz) milk chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp powdered (confectioners’) sugar
80ml (1/3 cup) whole cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan containing a couple of centimetres (about an inch) of simmering water on low heat, or in a double boiler. Stir gently until the chocolate has completely melted and everything is well combined and smooth. Add a little additional cream if required, to make it thinner.

Allow to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Keeps well in the fridge and reheats easily (just add extra cream to thin it, if necessary).