Brandied fruit and nut ice cream ... oh my!

Most years I make a super-decadent Christmas cake where the recipe involves soaking nuts and dried fruit in brandy for weeks or months, then adding eggs and flour and baking. Whoops. In August last year I started the process – tossing sultanas, chopped dates, crystallised ginger and glacé cherries into a generous bath of brandy and stowing the container in the fridge – then things seemed to get busier and busier and I didn't get around to baking any cakes! In fact I didn't even get around to adding nuts.

It's summer in Australia, so on noticing the rather forlorn-looking container this week I decided to make ice cream instead of cakes. Seriously easy and seriously delicious.

600 ml pouring cream
1 tin (400 g) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups of fruit/nuts that have been soaked in brandy

Whip the cream till thick. Stir in the condensed milk. Stir in the fruit/nut mixture. Pour into freezable containers and freeze overnight. Enjoy!

In case you're wondering, I don't have an ice cream maker. Happily, there are plenty of frozen desserts that can be made without one. Here are a few more you may like to try ...

Avocado, lime, ginger and pistachio ice cream
Strawberry ice cream
Kahlúa and macadamia ice cream
Japanese green tea ice cream
Banana sorbet
Easy fruit sorbet

Cheers.