Name: Ice-cream Vacherin
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 8 h 45 min
Yield: 6 people
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 90 g egg white; 150 g caster sugar; 800 ml blackcurrant sorbet; 800 ml vanilla ice cream; 300 g Chantilly cream

Step by step recipe

Step 1 - ⌛ 2 min.

Preheat the oven to 210°F (100°C).

You will need a cake tin, dessert ring or plate about 23 cm (9 inches) in diameter to draw round. Draw 2 circles on a sheet of cooking parchment.

Step 2 - ⌛ 5 min.

Make a meringue with 90 g egg white and 150 g caster sugar.

Step 3 - ⌛ 2 min.

Turn the paper with the circles on over and fix down onto a baking sheet with a small dab of meringue at each corner.

Step 4 - ⌛ 5 min.

Use a forcing bag to pipe 2 neat discs of meringue using the circles on the paper to guide you.

The professionals start from the centre and work outwards in one elegant gesture, but for amateurs like us, it is easier to start from the outside and finish in the centre, like in the photo.

Step 5 - ⌛ 3 min.

If there is any meringue left over, you can fill up the spaces on the paper with small meringue shapes to serve to your guests with coffee. Cook in the oven for 4 to 6 hours. For more details, see the recipe for meringues.

Step 6 - ⌛ 2 hours

Lay a sheet of cooking parchment of a baking sheet, stand the dessert ring on it and place a circle of meringue in the bottom. Put this in the freezer for at least one hour.

If you do not have a dessert ring, you can use a strip of card wrapped in aluminium foil and bent round to the correct size.

Step 7 - ⌛ 5 min.

Remove from the freezer and spread a layer of blackcurrant sorbet on the meringue base to about halfway up the side of the ring.

Step 8 - ⌛ 5 min.

Follow this immediately with a second layer of vanilla ice cream.

Step 9 - ⌛ 4 hours

Finish with the second circle of meringue on top and press this down to sit firmly on the filling. It doesn't really matter if it cracks or breaks slightly.

Put the vacherin back in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Step 10 - ⌛ 5 min.

Take the vacherin out of the freezer and remove the ring. This is easier if you slip a knife blade around the edge.

Step 11 - ⌛ 8 min.

Use a forcing bag to pipe small whorls of Chantilly...

Step 12

...all over the top of the vacherin.

Step 13 - ⌛ 5 min.

Finish around the edge with a flat nozzle if you have one...

Step 14

...and cover the outside. You can pipe a "cord" around the bottom of the vacherin if you wish.

If you don't have a flat nozzle, you can use a palette-knife to spread the cream around the outside.

Step 15 - ⌛ 2 hours

Put the vacherin back in the freezer for at least 2 hours bafore serving.

Nutritional information

	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats	Calories	Energy
Per 100 g	3 g RDI=4 %	30 g RDI=11 %	9 g RDI=12 %	214 kcal RDI=11 %	896 kJ RDI=11 %
Per person	7 g RDI=10 %	81 g RDI=30 %	24 g RDI=33 %	573 kcal RDI=29 %	2,400 kJ RDI=29 %
Whole recipe	40 g RDI=62 %	485 g RDI=183 %	145 g RDI=199 %	3,440 kcal RDI=172 %	14,403 kJ RDI=172 %

Whole recipe

Possible allergens in this recipe: egg, milk