The past week has been bit of a week of failures. I have been testing vegetarian marshmallow recipes (yet to succeed, anyone who says you can use agar agar instead of gelatin to make veggie marshmallows is a LIAR. I know I tried 4 times ) and then I tried to make a dulce de leche nougat. Did not work.

I was left with lots of agar agar marshmallow gloop (not edible) and with a dulce de leche nougat which didn’t set (very edible). So with the Parisian weather warming up and the beach opening this week. I thought this would make a perfect flavour for an ice cream…dulce de leche with a nutty hazelnut nougat …miam miam and this certainly turned out to be the perfect combo. Went down a storm with the neighbours.

The recipe is really a nougat recipe which has whipped cream folded into at the end. It’s a bit thrown together (you may want to reduce the quantity of nuts). For other ice cream recipes/stories check out Yum sugar.

Dulce de leche & nougat ice cream

2 egg whites
300g sugar
100ml water
400ml whipping cream
180g dulce de leche
150g hazelnuts

You will need a sugar thermometer and a stand mixer

Dry roast hazelnuts. Leave to cool. Put sugar and water in a large pan and stir over gentle heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Boil carefully to 290F, 145°C. It burns readily towards end of boiling time and tends to froth up. If you do not have a thermometer, put a teaspoonful in a cup of cold water. If it is ready it will go into brittle threads. Meanwhile, beat egg-white in a heat-proof bowl until it is stiff and stands up in peaks.

When contents of pan reach the correct temperature, pour it slowly over the beaten egg-white, beating all the time.

When mixture thickens as you beat it, beat in nuts. In a second bowl whip cream to a stiff peaks. Fold in the ‘nougat’ mixture and dulce leche. If you want a swirly effect then fold in the mixture less. Put into containers and freeze.