Prune and Armagnac Ice Cream

In my last blog entry I was extolling the virtues of prunes in armagnac and the sheer joy of using them in ice cream. Assuming that you have some armagnac-soaked prunes, then the easiest way to create an ice cream is to stir some chopped prunes with their armagnac juices into softened, shop-bought vanilla ice cream. But, although the following recipe is more complicated, it’s much nicer in my opinion. The taste is truly intense and the combination of the residual alcohol and mascarpone makes for a velvety smooth feel. Definitely a grown-up sort of ice cream and definitely one of my favourites.

You don’t have to soak the prunes for 4 weeks to make this ice-cream – overnight will do at a pinch – but if you have got the patience then I promise it’s well worth the wait.

Prune and Armagnac Ice Cream

200 g armagnac-soaked prunes, drained
125 ml of the armagnac-laden prune-soaking liquid
125 g caster sugar
125 g fromage frais (preferably not the very low-fat version)
200 g mascarpone
1 egg yolk
50 g icing sugar, sieved
1 tbsp lemon juice

Add the prune-soaking liquid and the caster sugar to a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring a good deal. Make sure that the sugar has fully dissolved, then simmer the syrup for a few minutes until it becomes quite thick. (Stop before it seizes up completely, though.)

Allow the syrup to cool a little, then put it into a food processor with the prunes and fromage frais. Whiz them together until well mixed but stop before the prunes are completely obliterated – a few small chunks will be no bad thing. Place the mixture in the fridge and wait until it’s thoroughly cold.

Beat together the mascarpone, egg yolk, icing sugar and lemon juice until the mixture is smooth and quite loose. Stir in the cooled fromage frais and prune mixture. Pour into an ice-cream maker and allow the mixture to churn and freeze. (If you don’t have an ice-cream maker, placing the mixture in the freezer and taking it out a few times as it freezes to beat it with a fork should be fine.)

This ice is quite rich and powerful so serve small scoops with suitable biscuits or alongside plain cakes or light chocolate desserts. In fact, it's great just in an ice-cream cone. Less obviously, perhaps, I think it also works well with apple desserts or with other baked fruits.

Comments

  1. Janice3 September 2011 at 22:26

    I can almost taste those boozy prunes - how delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous4 September 2011 at 07:15

    Heaven just opened the doors and Phil is standing with this fanatstic icecrema to greet me:)))

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anna's kitchen table4 September 2011 at 11:26

    Oh how decadent it looks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Chele4 September 2011 at 12:29

    Oh. My. Goodness! You are a cruel man to post this recipe when I have no Armagnac Prunes around lol

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michelle4 September 2011 at 18:34

    Oh Phil, you mean person... how could you post the recipe for this ice cream that I've been drooling over for ages!! Its just me and the sprog right now, and I can't make an ice cream with alcohol in it... although, on second thoughts...

    It looks beautiful, and I think I am going to head off and see what I can find at the market...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Velva9 September 2011 at 02:56

    A very interesting flavor twist on ice cream-Prunes! Love it.

    Cheers.
    Velva

    ReplyDelete
  7. Unknown11 September 2011 at 20:06

    Residual alcohol is one of my favourite tastes! This looks fab - I'm just about to revisit making my own mascarpone (would you believe, in a country built on the dairy industry, that it's really expensive and difficult to find here?) so this will be a good use for it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous20 December 2022 at 23:06

    I made this yesterday. The flavour was great but sadly it did not freeze well. I think the residual alcohol in the prunes caused this. So I had a (very) soft serve dessert instead 😳

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phil in the Kitchen22 December 2022 at 01:10

      This recipe is intended to provide a soft ice cream but certainly not a very soft serve. I'm sorry it didn't work for you. The problem that I've found is that there are quite a few variables in the recipe and the type and thickness of fromage frais and mascarpone, for instance, can make a real difference to the end product, as can the type (and absorbency) of the prunes. You're absolutely right in saying that the amount of residual alcohol makes the difference but it's really hard to say why that variation happens and so it's very difficult to get the recipe right for all circumstances. I'm glad the taste was good, though.

      Delete

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