florentine ice cream

serves 24 best made two days before you want to serve

copyright © text and recipe Ann Oliver 2020….posted 16 February, 2020…this was a signature dessert at Mistress Augustine’s Restaurant

Glacé Fruit for the Florentine Ice Cream
[best made a few days before the ice cream is assembled]

200g glacé red cherries
100g glacé green cherries
100g glacé apricots
100g glacé peaches
50g candied mixed
100g cognac

Method Put the cherries into the mixing bowl. Chop up the other fruit, add to the bowl, measure out the cognac and add to the fruit. Mix well and refrigerate in an airtight container. Stir the fruit over every day to ensure that the fruit is well marinated.
Brandy Snaps Store in the fridge use as required 125g unsalted butter 200g golden syrup 125g caster sugar 110g strong flour 40g cognac
Find a light golden syrup Lyles is excellent and can be found in most Foodlands. Silver Spoon brand is a good equivalent and is often found in specialty food shops. The problem with the darker golden syrup is that the brandy snaps darken and burn on the edges before they are cooked in the centres.
We purchase silica gel sachets 50g from
Ace Chemicals they are excellent for keeping brandy snaps, meringues and biscuits crisp and fresh.
Check out their web site you are bound to find a similar supplier in an medium sized city.
Method Weigh the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a saucepan and place it on medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture boils and immediately the sugar is dissolved remove from the heat – do not reduce. Remove from the heat, allow the bubbling to just subside, then whisk in the flour and finally the cognac. Return to the heat and whisking constantly bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and scrape into a storage container, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to cook. pre heat oven to 160°C Cover baking sheets with silicone mats or baking paper. Take approximately tablespoons full of the brandy snap mixture, roll it into a ball and then roll it into a rectangle between two pieces of baking parchment. Remove the top parchment and press the brandy snap hard against a prepared baking sheet and peel away the parchment. If you are using a commercial fan forced oven ½ fan and we have metal and wooden batons that we used to prevent the paper from blowing around in the oven…all have come from Bunnings. Bake until lightly coloured and cooked through to the centres, cool on racks and store in an airtight container with silica gel sachets . It is important to remember that the second and third batches will take less time to cook as the baking sheets will be hot from the oven.

​Florentine Ice Cream Base

2kg cream
180g castor sugar
20 large egg yolks [minimum 61g eggs]..room temperature
75g Cognac

 
We powder our sugar in the thermomix for cakes and ice creams makes the cooking chemistry just that little bit simpler.

Method

Place the cream into a microwave safe container about double the volume, and microwave on high [full power] for 12-15 minutes or until the cream is boiling. In the meantime, put the egg yolks and sugar into an electric mixer bowl and whisk until they are pale and voluminous.

As soon as the cream is boiling, at low speed, add the boiling cream to the egg yolks and mix well. Check the temperature of the anglaise it should be 80+C to be safe. If it is not at temp, without delay, return to the microwave safe bowl, and microwave on 70power on 30second bursts until it reaches temp. Whisk in the Cognac, strain and chill.

To assemble and serve the Florentine Ice Cream

1 batch of ice cream base
1 batch of brandy snaps
1 batch of marinated fruit
1 x 250g Haigh’s dark chocolate finely chipped or Callebaut K811 calettes in a disposable piping bag
1 x 250g Haigh’s dark chocolate finely chipped or Callebaut K811 calettes weighed into a microwave safe bowl
1 x Tania Jone’s Chocolate Sauce [recipe below] room temp

equipment
square 28 cm or rectangular tin* 50 cm x 17 cm *[chest freezer only]
sweets only chopping board in freezer
icing comb

Tania Jones Chocolate Sauce

150g pouring cream
150g caster sugar
75g water
225g Haigh’s dark chocolate finely chipped or Callebaut K811 calettes

Method
Weigh the cream, caster sugar and water into a saucepan. Place it on high heat and whisking it constantly, bring it to the boil. Remove from the heat add the chocolate and whisk until it is completely incorporated. Return to the heat and whisking constantly, boil gently until it is thick and glossy.

Method Divide the icecream base into three equal batches. Half fill your ice cream churn with ice cream base and start to churn. Line the base and two sides of your tin with baking paper. Place 250g of chocolate into a disposable piping bag and melt one bag on low heat in microwave in one-minute bursts until it is melted but not hot. Cover the base of the tin with brandy snaps and sparingly drizzle chocolate over the brandy snaps. Spread the first batch of ice cream evenly over the brandy snaps and immediately start churning another batch of ice cream base. Working quickly add about one third of the marinated fruit and press it into the ice cream. Press another layer of brandy snap onto the ice cream and drizzle chocolate over the brandy snap. Place the tin in the freezer until you have another batch of ice cream churned. Repeat the process until you have churned all the ice cream finishing with a layer of brandy snaps, but no chocolate. One 250gm bag of chocolate should be enough for the inside if the ice cream, and the second bag is reserved for the top of the Florentine Ice Cream. Return to the freezer and freeze overnight. To finish and portion Melt the remaining 250g of chocolate in the microwave …do not allow it to get too hot or it will be out of temper. Run a knife around the edge of the tin and invert the tin onto your frozen chopping board. You need to work quickly and do a little at a time because the chocolate will set very quickly. Use the icing comb to make wave decoration. Return to the freezer until ready to serve. Get someone to work with you one to wrap the portions and one to cut. Use a very sharp serrated knife and cut 2 cm portions, wrap them in Freezer-go-Between and return to the freezer until you want to serve. For the square tin cut it in half and then cut the slices.

To serve

Whisk the chocolate sauce until it is smooth and glossy again. Put about 50ml/g of the sauce on each of your serving plates and use the icing comb to make the traditional ‘Florentine’ wave pattern. Unrwap and ice cream portion and place it on the edge of the chocolate sauce wave.