• Berry ice cream served with spiced biscotti

    Serves: 30 biscotti
    Cooking Time: 2 hours plus extra for freezing

    Ingredients

    • Biscotti

    • 240g (2 cups) cake flour
    • 210g (1 cup) castor sugar
    • 10ml (2 tsp) baking powder
    • 100g pecan nuts, chopped
    • 100g dried cranberries
    • 100g almonds
    • 100g dried apricots, chopped
    • 100g candied orange peel
    • 10ml (2 tsp) allspice
    • 5ml (1 tsp) lemon zest
    • 3 large eggs
    • Ice cream

    • 100g castor sugar
    • 200g frozen or fresh mixed berries
    • 6 large eggs, separated
    • 250ml (1 cup) milk
    • 250ml (1 cup) fresh cream
    • rose petals, to garnish

    Instructions

    1

    For the biscotti, preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

    2

    Place all the ingredients, except for the eggs, in a bowl. Using your hands, mix until all the fruit and nuts are covered in flour. Add the eggs and mix together until a dough forms.

    3

    Shape the dough into a long log. Place it in the centre of the baking tray and bake for 40 minutes. Cut the log into thin slices.

    4

    Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C. Place the slices on a cooling rack and place the rack on the baking tray. Return to the oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

    5

    For the ice cream, place 50g of the sugar and all the berries in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat until the berries have softened and broken apart. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

    6

    Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until the mixture is light and creamy.

    7

    Bring the milk and cream to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour it over the yolk mixture while beating. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over a low heat until it forms a thick custard. Place in the fridge to cool, then stir in the berry coulis.

    8

    Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and slowly fold it into the custard mixture.

    9

    Churn the mixture in an ice-cream machine for 45 minutes. Alternatively, pour it into a plastic container and freeze for 40 minutes. Mix it with a whisk and freeze for another 30 minutes. Repeat twice.

    10

    Serve the ice cream with the biscotti and garnish with rose petals.