Typical, as soon as I mention frozen desserts the weather turns! Well it has here in Melbourne anyway, but no worries I actually enjoy ice cream as much in the winter as I do on hot days so, here goes...

This weeks Recipe of the Week is extracted from my cookbook 'Lamingtons & Lemon Tart' an ebook copy of which can be bought HERE.

My Choc Mint Frozen Slice is simple but delicious, it does have a few components and recipes to it so plan ahead but they are all simple recipes. I suggest freezing this well in your freezer at least overnight before finishing with the meringue.

Enjoy - Darren x

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Choc Mint Frozen Slice

Components

Chocolate ‘shavings’ *

Chocolate shortbread

Frozen mint parfait

Italian meringue

*These are an easy and cute little garnish, which are very handy to have on hand for jazzing up desserts, cakes, and this frozen parfait recipe. Just prepare the chocolate for tempering and pour a small amount onto a flat work surface and spread flat using a palette knife.

Then take a flexible metal scraper and start to push the edge into the now set chocolate to form ‘shavings’ in the chocolate. Store these in the fridge until needed.

Cocoa Shortbread

Ingredients

110 g Unsalted butter, softened

50 g Icing sugar, sieved

65 g Cake flour, sieved

15 g Rice flour, sieved

15 g Cornflour, sieved

15 g Cocoa powder, sieved

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°
2. Cream the butter with the icing sugar in a bowl with a spatula until pale and smooth.
3. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix to a dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and store in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1cm.
5. Place the dough onto a baking tray lined with paper and again chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
6. Bake the shortbread for 18 minutes or until baked and remove from the oven. Cut 2cm wide strips or break into smaller irregular pieces.
7. Leave to cool and reserve for assembly.

Frozen Mint Parfait

Ingredients

4g Gelatine, gold leaf

12 Egg Yolks

250 g Caster Sugar

200 ml Water
750 ml Cream, firm whipped

2 drops Peppermint oil

Method

1. Spray the inside of a 28cm X 13cm X 6.5cm loaf tin with canola spray and line it with cling film. Smooth out any wrinkles and ensure it overlaps the tin. This will ensure you have a smooth frozen slice that is easy to remove from the tin once frozen.
2. Soak the gelatine in cold water for 2 minutes to soften, drain the water and reserve the gelatine.
3. Add the yolks to a bowl of a stand mixer and start to whisk on high speed. Place the sugar into a saucepan with the water and stir gently. Place the pan over a medium heat and stir the syrup to ensure the sugar has dissolved. Once the syrup is boiling stop stirring and cook to 121°C using a sugar or digital thermometer to accurately check the temperature.
4. Slowly pour the syrup into bowl of whisking egg yolks from the side, add the soaked gelatine to the bowl and whisk for 5 min. until the mixture has cooled. The mix should be pale and thick in volume. Remove from the machine and fold in the whipped cream and peppermint oil to taste.

Italian Meringue

Ingredients

4 Egg whites

200 g Caster sugar

150 ml Water

Method

1. Place the sugar and water into a small saucepan and heat. At the same time add the whites to a bowl of a stand mixer and start to whisk slowly.
2. Cook the syrup to a boil then continue cooking to 112°C before turning up the mixing machine to medium high.
3. Continue cooking the syrup using a digital or sugar thermometer to accurately check the temperature. At 121°C remove the pan from the heat and slowly trickle the syrup into the whisking bowl ensure it goes down the side of the bowl and does not hit the whisk.
4. Once all the syrup is in, beat the meringue on high for 10 min. to cool. The meringue should be thick and glossy.

Assembly

1. Distribute the parfait and ‘layers’ of biscuit and chocolate to fill the loaf tin.
2. Cover and freeze overnight.
3. Make the meringue and use a palette knife or spatula to spread the meringue over the entire parfait.
4. Use a blowtorch to lightly glaze the meringue all over.