Cheat’s No-Churn Vanilla & Sea Salt Ice-Cream with Roasted Frozen Berries and Grated White Chocolate. Photos: Donal Skehan; Food Styling: Charlotte O’Connell Made-To-Share Summer Panna Cotta. Photos: Donal Skehan; Food Styling: Charlotte O’Connell Mille Feuille Mess.
Photos: Donal Skehan; Food Styling: Charlotte O’Connell In Ireland, summer is often more about those rare moments of warmth than it is about consistent heat. And when those rare sunny moments appear, it’s nice to make the most of them without being stuck in a hot kitchen. For those of us with a serious sweet tooth, summer desserts can become more about quick and easy assembly than intricate baking.
This week, I have three such desserts that fit perfectly into this laid-back, fleeting summer vibe. Summer is the perfect time for desserts that are both delicious and easy to share, and this summer panna cotta with stone fruit, a splash of limoncello and vanilla fits the bill perfectly. This recipe is wonderfully straightforward, requiring just a few simple steps to create a wobbly, creamy, elegant treat that’s as easy to serve as it is to make.
The addition of fresh stone fruit, strawberries, and a splash of limoncello adds a refreshing, summery twist. Next up is a mille feuille mess which offers a twist on two classic desserts. Layers of all-butter puff pastry are shattered and assembled with swirls of velvety vanilla cream and nutty pistachio cream.
Fresh summer berries are scattered on top, adding a burst of lip-puckering satisfaction. What makes this mille feuille mess particularly appealing is its ease of preparation. You can assemble this dessert just before serving, ensuring that the pastry remains perfectly crisp and the cream is kept cool and whipped into velvet folds.
Lastly, cheat’s no-churn vanilla and sea salt ice cream with roasted frozen berries and grated white chocolate offers a simple yet impressive way to enjoy homemade ice cream. The straightforward method of making this ice cream might just convince you to take the plunge and make your own. Even if you don’t, the trick of roasting frozen berries with a sprinkle of grated white chocolate will make you wonder why you haven’t been doing this for years.
This easy, flavourful technique transforms store-bought vanilla ice cream into a deliciously elevated treat, proving that, sometimes, the simplest tricks can be the most rewarding. Made-To-Share Summer Panna Cotta. Photos: Donal Skehan; Food Styling: Charlotte O’Connell Serves 4 Cook time 35 minutes + cooling time For the panna cotta: For the limoncello macerated fruit: Method 1.
Put the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla pod with the seeds in a pan set over a gentle heat. As soon as the liquid starts to simmer, remove from the heat and leave to cool for 15 minutes, then fish out the vanilla pod and discard. 2.
While the liquid cools, add the gelatine sheets to a bowl of cold water and allow them to bloom for at least 5 minutes. 3. Lightly oil a 1-litre capacity dish — metal works well here but just make sure it’s not loose-bottomed or springform or your panna cotta won’t release properly.
4. Squeeze any excess liquid from the gelatine sheets, then add to the cream mixture and stir in to dissolve. 5.
Pour the cream mixture into the prepared dish and place into the fridge for at least 4 hours to set — overnight is best. 6. Add the strawberries and peach to a bowl with the icing sugar and limoncello, stirring through.
7. To serve, turn the panna cotta out onto a serving plate — the trick here is to carefully run a knife around the edges of your dish to release the panna cotta (very carefully), then upturn it to a serving dish. If the panna cotta doesn’t release immediately then some gentle shaking to coax it from its dish should help.
Garnish the panna cotta with the macerated fruits. Tear over mint leaves to finish. Mille Feuille Mess.
Photos: Donal Skehan; Food Styling: Charlotte O’Connell Serves 6 Cook time 1 hour + cooling time For the puff pastry: For the blackberries: For the cream: To serve: Method 1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/425F/Gas Mark 7. 2.
Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper and place a puff pastry sheet on each tray. Dust each sheet with icing sugar then place another sheet of parchment on top. Cover each tray with another baking tray — this prevents the pastry from rising too much.
3. Transfer to the oven to bake for about 25 minutes, checking after 15, until the sheets are golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and transfer each sheet to a wire rack to cool.
4. While the pastry cools, macerate the blackberries — add them to a bowl along with the caster sugar and lime zest, setting aside for 30 minutes. 5.
Add the mascarpone and double cream into a bowl along with the vanilla and icing sugar and whisk until soft peaks are formed. Be careful not to over whip. 6.
To assemble, break the puff pastry into rough shards. Add a dollop of cream to the base of your serving dish and place 1⁄3 of the pastry shards on top. Top with 1⁄3 of the whipped cream then drizzle over some of the pistachio paste and 1⁄3 of the berries, along with some of their macerating juices.
Repeat this process until you have a layer of cream as the top layer. Add the remaining blackberries and finally finish with the chopped pistachios and some mint leaves. Cheat’s No-Churn Vanilla & Sea Salt Ice-Cream with Roasted Frozen Berries and Grated White Chocolate.
Photos: Donal Skehan; Food Styling: Charlotte O’Connell Serves 4 Cook time 25 minutes + overnight freezing time For the ice cream: For the roasted berries: To serve: Method 1. Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, whisk the mixture until thickened and stiff peaks form.
Gently stir in the sea salt and spoon into a large loaf tin or large glass lunch box with a lid, cover and freeze overnight until solid. 2. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan /350F/Gas Mark 4.
3. Add the berries to a bowl with the caster sugar, cornflour, vanilla bean paste and lemon juice. Mix well to combine, add to a baking tray and transfer to the oven to roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway, until the berries are broken down, glossy and juicy.
4. Remove the berries from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then serve the ice cream into bowls. Top with the slightly warm berries, then drown everything in a heavy grating of white chocolate.
Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news.
