SARAH BERNHARDT COOKIE ICE CREAM
SERVES 8 / PREPARATION 30 MINUTES PLUS FREEZING TIME / COOKING 30 MINUTES
French actress Sarah Bernhardt’s visit to Copenhagen in 1911 inspired the now-famous Danish cookies made with chocolate, almonds and buttercream. I have turned these yummy ingredients into a decadent yet simple no-churn ice cream. I like to add amaretto for extra almond goodness; adding alcohol makes the ice cream set softer so you can scoop it straight from the freezer. If you don’t want to use alcohol, just remove the ice cream from the freezer for 10 minutes to soften before serving.
140g whole almonds 100g icing sugar
1 medium-sized egg, separated 70g blanched almonds 100g milk or dark chocolate 500ml cream
200g sweetened condensed milk 2 tablespoons cocoa powder ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon liqueur or vodka,
(optional – I used amaretto)
Line a baking sheet with paper and heat the oven to 180℃.
Put the whole almonds in a food processor and grind to a fine crumb. Transfer to a bowl with the icing sugar and mix together with a pinch of salt. Add the egg white and mix well until it all comes together. Scoop out heaped teaspoons and press into a rough cookie shape on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden, turning the tray around in the oven halfway. Cool for 5 minutes on the tray then transfer to a rack until fully cool. Break into small pieces and set aside. Store in an airtight container if making in advance.
Spread the blanched almonds on a baking tray and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway, until golden brown. Chop and set aside.
Put the chocolate in a bowl over boiling water and gently melt until smooth. Leave to cool (about 15 minutes). Beat the cream in a bowl to soft peaks and set aside. Put the condensed milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, the liqueur if using and the egg yolk in a large bowl and whisk together for 2 minutes until smooth.
Add about a quarter of the cream to the bowl and gently fold through to loosen the mix, then gently fold in the remaining cream. Fold in two-thirds of the crumbled cookies and two-thirds of the chopped almonds.
Spoon a third of the mix over the bottom of a loaf tin and then drizzle a third of melted chocolate, swirling in a little as you do. Continue layering the cream and chocolate, finishing with a layer of chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Serve scattered with remaining almonds and cookies.