Blackberry swirl ice-cream with Cinzano apricots

SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 15 MINS // COOK 15 MINS (PLUS FREEZING)

110 gm (½ cup) caster sugar

250 gm frozen blackberries

1 tbsp lemon juice

395 gm sweetened condensed milk

250 gm mascarpone

1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped, pod reserved

¼ tsp Himalayan pink salt flakes

600 ml thickened cream

6 firm apricots, halved, stone removed

80 ml (1/3 cup) Cinzano Bianco

90 gm (¼ cup) honey

1 Place a 2 litre-capacity loaf tin in freezer. Combine sugar, blackberries, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until syrupy (10 minutes); transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold.

2 To make ice-cream, place condensed milk, mascarpone, vanilla seeds and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

3 Place cream in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until stiff peaks. Fold mascarpone mixture into cream, then pour half of the mixture into chilled tin; add half of the blackberry mixture and swirl. Pour over remaining cream mixture followed by blackberry mixture and swirl. Freeze for 4 hours, or until frozen.

4 For apricots, heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add apricots, cut side down, and cook until golden and caramelised (2 minutes). Carefully remove apricots from pan, then add Cinzano, honey and reserved vanilla pod; bring to a simmer. Return apricots to pan, cut side up, and simmer until tender (2 minutes). Serve with ice-cream.