White Chocolate Ice Cream with a Crunchy Raspberry Ripple

Remember the Little Meringues?  Well last weekend a genius plan was hatched involving said items and this is what it looked like;

White Chocolate Ice Cream with a Crunchy Raspberry Ripple
500g white chocolate
500ml milk
500ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, split
8 egg yolks
50g golden sugar
Crunchy Raspberry Ripple
2-3 premade meringue nests

250g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

To make the ice cream start by melting the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water.

Heat the milk, double cream and vanilla pod together (I scrape the seeds out and add these to the mix along with the pod) and bring to the boil.

Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they start to go pale. Slowly whisk the boiling milk into the egg yolks, then return the mixture to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Strain the mixture into the melted chocolate and blend well, then leave to cool.

Meanwhile make the Raspberry Ripple; place the raspberries in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the fruit becomes a sauce.  Press through a mesh strainer to remove the pips and set aside to cool.  (I've not added any sugar to the raspberries as the sweetness of the ice cream compensates for any tart berries in the mix)!

When the ice cream mixture has cooled, place in a mould or container and freeze for 4-5 hours. When it is thick and half frozen, take it out, place in a blender and process to a smooth, cold mixture.

Layer the ice cream mixture with crumbled meringue nests and raspberry sauce.  Gently swirl the mixtures together with a skewer to create the ripple effect, less is more ... otherwise you'll end up with pink ice cream (this is not necessarily a bad thing of course).  Return to the freezer for a further 3-4 hours or until frozen.

Serves 12