Phew! What a scorcher. We're looking for any excuse to get out of the kitchen this week and we've got just the recipe to do it. Yup, toasted marshmallow ice cream. All the very best of summer joys from smoky festival campfires to sun speckled beaches- churned into each indulgent lick. I use an ice cream maker to whip this up- but it is also pretty easy to make by hand, you just need a fork and some wrists that fancy a work out. 

  

° 120g of our marshmallows- all flavours work fabulously but my fave is coconut for this recipe.
° a drip of flavourless vegetable oil ( for your spatula)
° 250ml whole milk
° 5 large egg yolks
° 100g golden caster sugar ° 1⁄4 tsp salt
° 700ml double cream
° 2 large handfuls of ice cubes

 

1 / Line a baking tray with baking parchment, and preheat the grill to medium-high. Set the marshmallows on the prepared tray and pop under the grill. When they are all slightly browned on one side, turn them over with an oiled spatula to toast on the other side. Set aside. You can also toast them over the stove- WAY more fun but a but trickier to catch in the pan.

2 / Using a medium-sized pan, heat the milk until it starts to simmer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt. When the milk starts to simmer, take the pan off the heat and pour half the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking vigorously until fully incorporated. Whisk all the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk in the saucepan.

3 / Cook over a low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon to ensure that the eggs don’t curdle. The custard is ready when it is thick enough to hold a finger-drawn line across the back of the wooden spoon without dripping.

4 / Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the cream and toasted marshmallows. For making ice cream, it’s really important to cool the custard as quickly as possible, so transfer it to a cold bowl sat in a larger bowl filled with water and ice cubes and stir occasionally until cool. Once cool, strain the custard into a sealable container and place in the fridge overnight (it will keep for a couple of days).

5 / Pour the ice cream mix into an ice cream maker and, once churned, cover and freeze for 1 hour before serving. Or, to make the ice cream by hand, stir it well with a fork and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove and beat with a fork until uniform in consistency. Repeat 3 times, then freeze, covered, for 1 hour before serving. 

Then get outside and make the most of this sunshine!