Christmas Pudding Ice Cream

christmas pudding icecream

Ah, another Australian Christmas, a very different affair than a Northern Hemisphere celebration. Set smack bang in the middle of a hot summer, we like to take advantage of the warm weather. Chrissy lunch is often an alfresco affair, soaking up the sunshine with a dip in the pool afterwards. After such feasting, the last thing you usually feel like is a heavy Christmas pudding, which is why I was so keen to try the Christmas Pudding Semifreddo in the latest issue of Donna Hay magazine. Why not combine all the things you love about pudding in a spiced, fruit-flecked ice cream!

I made this a few weeks ago, but life has been pretty crazy in the weeks leading up to Christmas and so here I am on Christmas morning, typing away. But I still wanted to tell you about it, because it’s so good that I made another 4 litres of it this week as my contribution to the Annual Christmas lunch feast at my Nanna’s.

The second time around, I tweaked it a little bit. I omitted the pistachios completely because one of the kiddies has a nut allergy, and instead of shaving white chocolate on top, I added chopped white chocolate to the ice cream itself. We also churned it in the ice cream maker, instead of putting it straight into the freezer because it was a little icy and not as creamy as I would have liked. Also by churning it, the fruit stayed more evenly distributed throughout, and didn’t all sink to the bottom like it had before.

This is a great, versatile recipe. You can use any fruit you like, and serve it in any number of ways. Maybe next time I’ll try freezing it in a loaf pan and cutting slices for a more classy presentation. I also just wanted to wish all my wonderful readers a very happy and safe Christmas. I hope you’re spending it with your favourite people eating lots of great food!

Christmas Pudding Ice Cream
Adapted from Donna Hay Magazine
Serves 8

• 3 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 2 cups pouring cream
• ½ cup chopped pistachios (optional)
• ½ cup chopped dried cranberries
• ½ cup currants
• ¾ cup white chocolate, chopped (or white chocolate chips)

1. Place the eggs, extra yolks, vanilla, spice and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until thick and pale.
2. Remove from the heat and beat for a further 5 minutes or until cool.
3. Whisk the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold through the egg mixture until just combined. Refrigerate until cold, preferably overnight.
4. Freeze in an ice cream maker, according to manufacturer’s instructions. Fold through pistachios, cranberries, currants and white chocolate and freeze until hard (at least 6 hours or overnight).

9 Comments on “Christmas Pudding Ice Cream”

  1. Merry Christmas Lisa! Christmas pudding ice-cream is one of my favourite things to have on Christmas Day. Unfortunately it's not featuring this year, as I've finally decided it's not worth trying to transport ice-cream on hot days, to my parents' place!

  2. Sounds totally delicious and perfect for those hot Aussie summer Christmas lunches. Although – the weather isn't co-operating much this year! Either way – wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas!

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