Gooseberry Cream Ice (Crème de Groseilles Vertes)

Ingredients

• 1 quart (approximately 600g / 4 cups), topped and tailed gooseberries (Use green gooseberries for a classic tart flavour, or red/pink varieties for a sweeter, more colourful result. Fresh or frozen both work.)
• 0.5 pint (approximately 285ml / 1¼ cups) water (Used to help the gooseberries break down during cooking.)
• 6 ounces (approximately 170g / ¾ cup) castor sugar (Castor sugar (also spelled caster sugar) dissolves quickly and gives a smooth result. Fine granulated sugar works as a substitute.)
• 1 small amount (a few drops, to your preference) apple green food colouring (if using green berries) (Only add if using green gooseberries and you wish to enhance the colour. The original recipe calls for sap green or apple green. A modern gel or liquid food colouring labelled 'apple green' or 'leaf green' is suitable. Omit entirely if preferred.)
• 1 small amount (a few drops, to your preference) cherry red food colouring (if using red berries) (Only add if using red gooseberries and you wish to enhance the colour. The original calls for carmine or cherry red. A modern red gel or liquid food colouring works well. Omit entirely if preferred.)
• 1 pint (approximately 570ml / 2½ cups) sweetened cream or custard (Use sweetened double cream (heavy cream lightly sweetened with a little sugar to taste) or a pourable, sweetened custard (such as a store-bought fresh vanilla custard). Either produces a rich, creamy ice. Choose custard for a more traditional, eggy flavour; cream for a lighter, more delicate result.)

Instructions

1. 1Top and tail the gooseberries by pinching off the small green stem at the top and the dried flower end at the bottom of each berry using your fingers or a small pair of scissors. This only takes a minute once you get into a rhythm. Place the prepared gooseberries into a medium saucepan.
2. 2Add the 285ml (half a pint) of water and 170g (6 oz) of castor sugar to the saucepan with the gooseberries. Place the pan over a medium heat and stir gently to help dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for approximately 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the gooseberries have completely burst and broken down into a soft, pulpy mixture. The fruit should look thoroughly cooked through — pale and very soft with no firm pieces remaining.
3. 3Remove the pan from the heat. The original recipe calls for passing the cooked fruit through a 'tammy' — a fine-woven cloth used to strain and smooth purées. The modern equivalent is a fine-mesh sieve. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl. Pour the cooked gooseberry mixture into the sieve in batches, then use the back of a spoon or a flexible spatula to press and push the pulp firmly through the mesh. Work the mixture around until only dry skins and seeds remain in the sieve — discard these. What passes through into the bowl should be a smooth, silky purée. This step takes a little patience but is key to achieving a refined, lump-free ice cream.
4. 4If you are using green gooseberries and would like a more vibrant green colour, stir in a few drops of apple green food colouring into the warm purée now, adding drop by drop until you reach a pleasing shade. If you are using red gooseberries and want to deepen the colour, stir in a few drops of cherry red food colouring instead. Add either colouring gradually — a little goes a long way. You may skip this step entirely if you prefer a natural, uncoloured result; the flavour will be identical.
5. 5Allow the strained and coloured purée to cool completely to room temperature before combining with the cream or custard. You can speed this up by placing the bowl over a larger bowl filled with iced water and stirring occasionally. Do not mix the purée with the cream while it is still warm, as this could cause the cream to split or the mixture to become grainy.
6. 6Once the purée is fully cool, pour in the 570ml (1 pint) of sweetened cream or custard. Stir gently but thoroughly with a spoon or whisk until the two are completely combined into a uniform, pale mixture. Taste the mixture — it should be pleasantly sweet with a clear gooseberry flavour. If using sweetened double cream, make sure it has been lightly sweetened before adding (stir in a little castor sugar to taste). If using store-bought pouring custard, it will already be sweetened.
7. 7Pour the combined gooseberry cream mixture into a freezer-safe container with a lid (a 1–1.5 litre container works well). Place in the freezer. To achieve the smoothest possible result without an ice cream machine, remove the container from the freezer every 45 minutes for the first 3 hours and stir the mixture vigorously with a fork or whisk, breaking up any ice crystals that have formed around the edges and incorporating them back into the centre. After 3 rounds of stirring, leave the ice to freeze completely for a further 1–2 hours until firmly set. If you have an ice cream machine, churn the cooled mixture according to the manufacturer's instructions, then transfer to a freezer container and freeze until firm.
8. 8When ready to serve, remove the gooseberry cream ice from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften very slightly — this makes it easier to scoop. Serve in chilled bowls or glasses as a dessert. Scoop directly from the container using a warmed ice cream scoop (dip the scoop in hot water and wipe dry before each scoop for neat portions).