with cherry chilli gel, cookie crumb and hazelnut praline
Summer is a blink away. Here is a rich, dark, home-churned chocolate ice cream, built up in a waffle cone with a sweet-hot cherry gel, crunchy praline, chocolate cookie crumb and fresh raspberries. It is a bit cheeky, a lot of fun, and the kids can build their own.
| CHILL BASE
4 hours |
CHURN
About 20 min |
SEASON
Summer |
Why I love this one
These waffle cones are a treat at my house. I will not teach you the waffle cone itself here. Use your favourite, or a good shop-bought one. Instead, this recipe is about the elements that take a scoop of ice cream to the next level.
The magic is in the layers: cherry chilli gel at the base, praline for crunch, ice cream on top, then raspberries and a shower of chocolate cookie crumb. It is also a great way to get the kids involved and building their own cones. Go easy on the chilli if they are eating it.
Want the science behind great ice cream? Watch the full masterclass on my YouTube channel.
- Chocolate ice cream base
A chocolate English (custard) base. Make it a day ahead if you can.
Ingredients
- 600 g cream
- 75 g chocolate buttons
- 63 g Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 egg yolks
- 75 g caster sugar
Method
Melt. Heat the cream with the chocolate buttons until just under a boil. Take care not to overheat. You only want to melt the chocolate. Whisk in the cocoa until smooth and glossy.
Whisk. Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until pale.
Temper. Slowly whisk a little of the hot chocolate cream into the yolks, then gradually add the rest. Go slowly so the eggs do not scramble.
Cook. Return the mixture to the pot over gentle heat and stir constantly with a spatula, keeping it moving so it never catches on the bottom. Cook to 83–85°C, until thick but not curdled.
Chill. Cool, then refrigerate for about 4 hours before churning.
- Chocolate cookie crumb
Ingredients
- 155 g unsalted butter, softened
- 140 g brown sugar
- 85 g caster sugar
- 70 g egg
- About 240 g plain flour
- 5 g bicarbonate of soda
- 80 g Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
Method
Cream. Cream the butter and both sugars until smooth. Mix in the egg.
Add the dry ingredients. On low speed, slowly add the flour, bicarb and cocoa until you have a cookie dough.
Press thin. Press the dough flat between sheets of baking paper to about 5 mm.
Bake. Bake at 165°C until crisp. Cool, break up, then blitz to a fine crumb. Any leftovers make great bite-sized biscuits for the kids.
- Hazelnut praline
Optional, but it adds crunch and lets everyone build their own cone.
Ingredients
- 150 g toasted, skinned hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 150 g caster sugar
- A splash of water
Method
Prepare. Line a baking tray with baking paper before you start. The praline sets quickly.
Caramelise. Cook the sugar and water over medium heat until it turns a deep golden toffee colour. Stay with it, as it moves fast. Swirl rather than stir.
Set. Add the hazelnuts, mix, then pour onto the tray. Press it thin while still pliable. Cool, then break or chop to fit the cones.
- Cherry chilli gel
Ingredients
- 300 g pitted morello cherries (tinned is fine)
- 20 g icing sugar
- About 80 ml of the cherry preserving liquid, reserved
- 5 g agar agar (vegetarian setting agent)
- A small pinch of chilli, to taste
Method
Simmer. Bring the cherries and icing sugar to a boil. Mix the agar into the reserved cherry liquid, add it to the pot, and return to a boil.
Cook down. Cook for 25–30 minutes, until the cherries break apart.
Blitz. Blitz until smooth, add the chilli, and pour into a piping bag.
- Churn the ice cream
Fill. Pour the chilled base into your ice cream machine. Do not fill it to the top, as the mixture needs room to take in air. I churned about 800 ml at a time.
Churn. Churn for about 20 minutes, until you have a thick, dark chocolate ice cream.
- Build the cone
Gel. Pipe the cherry chilli gel into the base of a waffle cone.
Crunch. Add a layer of chopped hazelnut praline.
Scoop. Add a scoop or two of chocolate ice cream, using a scoop dipped in hot water.
Finish. Top with chocolate sauce, a few fresh raspberries and a shower of cookie crumb.
| A SALTY FINISH (OPTIONAL)
Chocolate and cherry love a little salt. A tiny pinch of Smoked LavasSalt over the finished scoop adds a gentle smoke and a slow chilli warmth that sits beautifully with the cherry chilli gel. Go lightly, and keep it off the cones for the kids. |
Chef Sebastian’s tips
- Watch the temperature. Keep the custard at 83–85°C. Hotter and the eggs curdle.
- Give it time. A well-chilled base churns smoother, so chill for at least 4 hours.
- Do not overfill the machine. Ice cream needs room to take in air as it churns.
- Make it a cone bar. Put each element in a bowl and let the kids build their own.
Watch the video below: