Ice cream eggs

These ice cream and coulis-filled eggs make a fun end to an Easter feast.

MAKES 750G, ENOUGH FOR ABOUT 24 EGGS PREP 25min, plus chilling and cooling COOK about 10min

• 5 large egg yolks (save the empty eggshells – see You’ll Also Need below, and Cook’s Tip, above)

• 400ml each whole milk and double cream

• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

• 75g caster sugar

• Ready-made mango coulis

• 15g plain chocolate, grated

• Shortbread fingers, to serve

YOU’LL ALSO NEED

• Large empty eggshells; top carefully removed with a small knife ⅔ of the way up (save eggshells in the run-up to Easter)

1 To sterilise eggshells, simmer them in a pan of boiling water for 3min. Lift out and drain. Carefully scrape out membrane and discard. Set shells in a large, clean egg carton.

2 Make ice cream: heat milk, cream and vanilla pod in a pan until bubbling around edges. In a large bowl, mix together egg yolks and sugar. Whisk hot milk mixture into egg yolk bowl.

3 Return mixture to pan. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon – this should take 5-7min. Strain through a sieve into a jug and leave to cool.

4 For best results, churn the mixture in an ice cream machine until frozen. If you don’t have a machine, freeze the mixture in a large freezer-proof container and whisk every 2hr until frozen.

5 Leave the ice cream to soften slightly if not made in a machine, then spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large nozzle and use to fill as many empty, clean eggshells as you fancy. Make a small well in the centre of each egg, then freeze for at least 1hr or preferably overnight.

6 Take eggs out of freezer 15min before you need them, then pour mango coulis into each well. Grate over a little plain chocolate to look like pepper. Serve with shortbread fingers as ‘soldiers’.

GET AHEAD Prepare to end of step 5 up to a day ahead. Complete recipe to serve.

PER SERVING: CALS 124; FAT 11G; SAT FAT 6G; CARBS 5G ➺