Mary Berry recipes For me, desserts are a taster when it comes to making desserts that don't disappoint, and this lemon meringue cream is definitely one of them. Taking less than 10 minutes to make, Mary described the recipe as “impressive” yet “easy” to make and recommended serving it with berries.
While this recipe doesn't require an ice cream maker or anything fancy, deviceI thought it could be done better with Ninja Creamy.
One look at social media is enough to see how this device has changed the way ice cream is made. Instead of churning for over twenty minutes, Creami gives you soft serve ice cream in three minutes.
Upon unboxing, I was amazed at how slim the appliance was. Even though it was very tall, it fit easily under my storage cabinets. The Ninja Creami comes with three pint-sized ice cream mixing containers, complete with lids. These sit inside a larger container that you insert into the machine using a clever twist-lock feature.
The preset programs are incredibly easy to use, as Ninja has taken the guesswork out of labeling each button with the type of frozen dessert you want.
It has seven programs, including smoothie bowl, light ice cream, ice cream, gelato, sorbet, milkshake and mixes. There is also a re-spin button if you do not achieve the desired creaminess with the first function.
The current retail price is £149, which is down from the £199 price on AO.com.It costs a little more than other cream manufacturers, but this is compensated by its characteristics.
After quickly cleaning out the containers, I was ready to begin making the lemon meringue ice cream.
Ingredients
300 ml double cream
One lemon
One jar of lemon curd
50 g meringue, broken into large pieces
Two tablespoons of chopped lemon balm (optional)
Three passion fruits, pulp cut in half, seeds removed
Method
I started by lightly whipping the cream – until the whisk left a trail – before adding the lemon zest and juice and half a jar of lemon curd. Then I folded in the meringue, making sure to leave a handful.
Then I transferred the mixture to one of the containers, covered it with a lid and left it in the freezer for 24 hours.
Unlike most ice cream makers, instead of churning the mixture as it freezes, you need to freeze it in one of the containers for at least 24 hours before you can churn it.
This should be a quick way to get grainy ice cream, but instead it works wonders, breaking up the ice crystals enough to result in some of the smoothest homemade ice cream I've ever tasted.
If you're making the ice cream by hand, simply spoon the mixture into a 450g (16oz) baking dish lined with cling film and freeze for six hours.
In the meantime, I started making the passion fruit sauce to cover the ice cream by mixing the other half of the lemon curd with the passion fruit pulp and seeds. I then left it in the fridge until the ice cream was ready.
Once the 24 hours were up, it was time to test the Ninja Creami. To do this, I simply placed the container in the outer bowl before securing it in place.
Next, it’s time to choose one of the seven preset functions. The machine has three ice cream options you can make: light ice cream, ice cream, and gelato. Each setting is designed for slightly different mixtures and different textures. For this recipe, I chose regular ice cream.
Once you select the function, the machine makes a very loud noise that lasts for about a minute, but once it does its job, the result will make you forgive the noise almost immediately.
After the first spin, the ice cream went from hard to creamy. Then I decided to use the Mix-In program, adding what was left of the crushed meringues.
I then put the cream in a bowl and poured the passion fruit sauce over it. I liked the texture and felt it outshone my store-bought cream. However, if the texture isn't quite right, there is an option for an extra spin.