Chilli, lime and lemongrass ice cream recipe

Try something different and try a hint of chilli to spice up your ice cream! It really brings out the flavour of this exotic Thai-style dessert

Ingredients

• 400ml can coconut cream or coconut milk
• 125g (4oz) caster sugar
• 2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
• 8-10 lime leaves, fresh or dried
• 10cm (4in) length lemongrass, halved lengthways and crushed
• 150ml carton double cream
• 500ml carton chilled, ready-made vanilla custard

Method

1. Pour the coconut cream, or coconut milk, into a pan and place the pan on the hob; bring it to the boil. Remove pan from the heat, add the sugar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the chopped chilli, lime leaves and lemongrass to the pan and leave to infuse, until the mixture is cold.
2. Remove the lime leaves and the lemongrass from the pan, then stir in the double cream and the custard. Pour the mixture into a freezer-proof container and freeze it, stirring it occasionally to break down any large ice crystals. Or, churn the mixture in an ice-cream machine until it’s frozen, then transfer it to a suitable container and store in the freezer.
3. Remove the ice cream from the freezer about 10-15 mins before serving it, so it starts to soften slightly and is easier to scoop.