TOASTED HOT CROSS BUN ICE CREAM

SERVES 8

Toasted brown bread ice cream is surprisingly good — the nuttiness of the bread crumbs toasted in butter with brown sugar gets an Easter makeover where the brown bread is replaced with toasted hot cross bun crumbs. It’s delicious — the crumbs adding texture with a caramelised flavour makes one spoonful never enough.

4-5 hot cross buns (stale ones are even better) broken into small pieces, to make up 2 cups (500ml)

60ml (4 tbsp) butter — for flavour’s sake don’t use margarine

125ml (½ cup) brown sugar

7.5ml (1½ tsp) mixed spice or a combination of ground cinnamon and nutmeg and a pinch of cloves

Ice cream

500ml (2 cups) fresh cream 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

1 x 385g can condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 120°C. In a food processor place the bun pieces and process till you almost have breadcrumbs. Sprinkle onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, turning the crumbs halfway, and bake until they’re dried out and fragrant. Set aside.

Preheat a large non-stick pan and melt the butter till it’s just turning to a light brownish colour. Add the sugar and spices and mix through before adding the dried bun crumbs and stirring constantly till they are golden brown and the mixture is a bit sticky. Set aside to cool completely.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream till it is billowy and has doubled in volume. Add the vanilla extract and beat through. Add the condensed milk and stir through the cream. Fold in the cold crumbs and mix through the ice cream mixture.

Pour into a 2-litre container with a lid and freeze, preferably overnight.

Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving. It’s particularly good scooped into an ice cream cone, a sweet ending to the Easter lunch.