No-Churn Brandy Butter Ice Cream

Making ice cream is a right palava, right? Making a custard, ensuring that it doesn't split or overcook, then, if you don't have an ice cream maker, all that tedious stirring at regular intervals, and even then it often ends up with ice crystals. Yawn...

This brandy butter-inspired ice cream is ridiculously easy to make. There is indeed no churning, just five minutes of gentle stirring and whisking and you're done. The alcohol is the magic ingredient here, preventing the ice cream from freezing solid. This is lovely and soft set and scoopable.

There isn't any actual butter in this ice cream. I was just going to call it something incredibly lame like Christmas Ice Cream, but when I tasted it, I was instantly reminded of brandy butter. It's kind of brandy butter plus, with the clementine, spices and vanilla. It's absolutely delicious, and would make a splendid alternative accompaniment to your Christmas pud. Or served melting over a warm mince pie. Or eaten straight from the container in front of a film where a young widower learns to love again, reconnects with his wayward children and rediscovers the true meaning of Christmas. Sniff...

In case you were wondering, the true meaning of Christmas is love. Apparently.



No-Churn Brandy Butter Ice Cream

• 50g icing sugar
• 50g soft light brown sugar
• Pinch of salt, to give the suggestion of butter
• Juice of 1 clementine
• 60ml brandy
• A few drops of vanilla extract
• Dash of Angostura Bitters (optional)
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 300ml double cream

1. Mix together all of the ingredients except for the cream, until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Add the cream and whisk until floppy and just forming soft peaks. Incidentally, this is also delicious at this stage and, if so inclined, you could dispense with the freezing altogether.

3. Transfer to a container and freeze overnight.