Recipe for "xmas-icecream"

NAME

     XMAS-ICECREAM - A southern-hemisphere Christmas plum pudding
     We here in the Southern Hemisphere have a  summer  Christmas
     so we have adapted some of the more traditional festive fare
     to local conditions.  Here is one example. It is very  easy,
     and it can be made up to a week ahead of using.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 8-10)

     500 g     mixed dried fruits, finely chopped
     5 ml      grated orange rind
     30 ml     cocoa
     120 ml    brandy or masala
     10 ml     gelatine
     15 ml     boiling water
     2 l       vanilla  ice  cream,  slightly  softened  but  not
               melted

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Combine  fruit,  spice,  orange  rind,  cocoa  and
               brandy  in  a  large  saucepan.  Over medium heat,
               bring almost to a boil, stirring occasionally.
          (2)  Cool, stirring occasionally.
          (3)  Mix gelatine and boiling water; simmer in a  small
               pan  for a few seconds, until evenly melted. Blend
               into fruit, chill.
          (4)  Fold the fruit into the softened ice cream, blend-
               ing evenly.
          (5)  Pack into foil lined bowl,  cover  with  foil  and
               freeze overnight or longer.
          (6)  To serve, unmould onto a serving plate,  cut  into
               wedges  and  serve with cinnamon-flavoured whipped
               cream.

NOTES

     The original recipe called for the use of a microwave to  do
     the  heating  and  cooking.  This works well for melting the
     gelatine but is a bit of a nuisance otherwise.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy to moderate  (timing  matters).   Time:  15
     minutes preparation, overnight freezing.  Precision: approx-
     imate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Graham Tongs
     University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
     graham@murdu.oz.au