Recipes come from everywhere – from new ingredients sometimes, new ways of doing things, new combinations or new twists on classics. While we do like to develop our own ideas, every now and then someone else’s recipe is just too hard to resist, particularly when it includes a damn good shortcut.
This is the case with our Coconut Macaroon and Watermelon ‘Ice Cream’ Cake which is based on a recipe by Jill Dupleix, a very well known Australian food writer and critic.
Jill’s ‘ice cream’ is simply frozen watermelon, blended with condensed milk, and the result is surprisingly fresh and delicious with a lovely texture. It is also very quick and easy. No millions of egg yolks and gallons of cream, nor an ice cream churn required here.
We’ve added our own gluten-free macaroon base after having mouthwatering thoughts about the combination of coconut and watermelon, and garnished the dessert with watermelon jelly but tiny cubes of fresh watermelon will look just as lovely.
So thanks Jill and here’s to the odd shortcut, especially when it’s as sumptuous as this one.
Rosie
COCONUT MACAROON AND WATERMELON ‘ICE CREAM’ CAKE WITH WATERMELON JELLY
Serves 10-12
Start this recipe the day before.
1 kg seedless watermelon flesh, cubed
75 gm ground almonds
75 gm desiccated coconut
75 gm caster sugar
3 egg whites, at room temperature
1 pinch salt
1 395gm tin sweetened condensed milk
Place the watermelon cubes on a tray and freeze overnight.
Preheat oven to 160°C. Line an 18cm x 28cm (or equivalent) tin with baking paper.
Combine ground almonds, desiccated coconut and caster sugar together in a bowl.
Whisk egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm peaks form. Gently fold the almond/coconut/sugar mix into the egg whites a third at a time.
Spread onto the base of your prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes or until the edges start to colour. Cool completely.
Remove the watermelon from the freezer and allow to stand for 5 minutes before placing in a food processor with the condensed milk. Process for several minutes until completely smooth.
Spread over the coconut macaroon base, smoothing the top. Freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
WATERMELON JELLY
250 ml watermelon juice
30 gm caster sugar
3 titanium strength gelatine leaves
We made our watermelon juice by blending then straining watermelon flesh but you can use a juice extractor if you have one.
Combine half the watermelon juice and the sugar in a saucepan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely then bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for a minute or two until soft. Squeeze out any excess water. Remove the watermelon juice/sugar mixture from the heat, add the gelatine, stirring until completely dissolved.
Add to the remaining cold watermelon juice and allow to cool completely.
Pour into a shallow tin (preferably non-stick) and refrigerate until firm.
TO SERVE
Unmould the ice cream cake onto a flat board and cut into squares of your desired size. Place in the centre of dessert plates.
Unmould the jelly and cut into squares of your desired size and scatter around the ice-cream squares. Top with a few jelly squares.