Ingredients
Red wine and thyme syrup
- 500ml red wine
- 200g granulated sugar
- 10g thyme sprigs
- 500g strawberries, hulled and halved
Balsamic syrup
- 475ml balsamic vinegar
- 4tbsp granulated sugar
Strawberry and balsamic ripple ice cream
- 70g caster sugar
- 500g strawberries, hulled and halved
- Juice of one lemon
- 2tbsp strawberry liqueur
- 100ml double cream
Method
Red wine and thyme syrup
- Place sugar and 125ml of red wine in a heavy based pan on a high heat. Boil until the mixture reaches a light caramel consistency (140°-150°), then add the remaining red wine and thyme; bring back to the boil again and reduce by one third.
- When reduced, leave to cool for five minutes before pouring over the prepared strawberries.
- Leave the strawberries to macerate for one hour before serving – do not leave any longer than this as the colour of the strawberries will deteriorate. Left over syrup can be reused.
Balsamic syrup
- Put the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a heavy based pan and place over a moderate heat; bring to a simmer and reduce by two thirds, until thick and syrupy.
- Leave to cool before transferring to a squeezy bottle.
Strawberry and balsamic ripple ice cream
- Place the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and liqueur into a food processor and blend until smooth; pass the puree through a fine sieve and mix with the double cream. Place in an ice cream machine and churn.
- When Ice cream is reaching freezing point, squeeze a little of the balsamic syrup while still churning to create a ripple effect (retain the rest for dressing salads and garnishing). When satisfied with ripples, immediately transfer the rippled ice cream to a plastic container with a sealable lid and place in freezer until required.
- Take out of the freezer 10 minutes before serving.
To serve, spoon the macerated strawberries into a glass dish with a ball of the strawberry and balsamic ice cream on top and finish with a tuile or sweet biscuit, white chocolate shavings and a sprig of thyme.