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Bakes: 20 minutes on the hob
For the ice cream
300ml double cream
300ml milk
80g light brown sugar
5 egg yolks
20g mixed, chopped peel
30g sultanas
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
For the hot cross buns
2 hot cross buns
50g light brown sugar
50g demerara sugar
1. First, infuse your cream and milk. Place the cream and milk in a small pan, and grate the nutmeg into it, and stick the cinnamon stick in too. Bring the cream slowly to the boil. At the first sign of bubbles, turn off the heat and leave for thirty minutes.
2. Reheat the cream until it is just shy of a boil. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until they are lighter in colour and thicker in texture, falling in ribbons from the whisk. Pour a quarter of the liquid into the sugar and eggs, whisking the whole time. Add the rest of the liquid, still whisking, and then return to the pan.
3. Cook very gently, stirring the whole time with a spatula, constantly moving the liquid on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the custard has thickened so that it covers the back of a metal spoon. First, the tiny bubbles will disappear, start testing on the back of a metal spoon when this has happened. The liquid will break apart on little spots on the spoon: this means that the eggs haven’t properly coagulated yet. When they do, there will be no spots, and you can run a finger down the back of the spoon, and a clean break will form between the sides of the liquid. You have custard!
4. Decant into a fridge-appropriate container, and cover with clingfilm, which should directly touch the surface of the custard. Chill.
5. Meanwhile, you can caramelise your hot cross buns. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Tear the hot cross buns into small pieces, maybe 1/2cm in width, and place them in a single layer on a tray. Sprinkle with the two different sugars sugar and cook for 15 minutes. The hot cross buns should be crispy and dry, but if they haven’t quite caramelised, pop them under the grill for a couple of minutes, keeping a close eye.
6. Once the custard is thoroughly cold, you can churn your ice cream. If you have an ice cream maker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If not, pop the custard into the freezer and, at half hourly intervals, stir vigorously, breaking up the ice crystals.
7. When the ice cream has been churning for about thirty minutes and is very thick, like soft serve ice cream, remove from the machine and fold the hot cross buns crumbs, zest, and sultanas into the mix. Distribute evenly and then decant into a suitable tub and place in your freezer.
8. Depending on the ferocity of your freezer, you may need to take the ice cream out about twenty minutes before serving, if you want big, handsome boules.
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