Love Food has recently been on a jaunt across the channel so to mark the occasion and to carry on our ice cream theme we have had the inventing hat on to devise this rather delicious little treat.

Andrew: I’ve been purchasing good local ingredients for this offering.

Dawn: All fresh and juicy in the summer months, when the fruit is at its finest.

Andrew: I was inspired by the flag of our host nation, and also had memories of Neapolitan ice cream.

Dawn: I remember that! Chocolate, strawberry and vanilla; where did that come from?

Andrew: Well it seems it was an American invention, Dawn. Early immigrants from Naples brought their gelato-making skills with them, and early versions were in the colours of the Italian tricolore. Pistachio for green, vanilla for the white layer and cherry ice cream for the red. It seems the Americans favoured strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.

Dawn: Food history really is a blog in itself.

Andrew: Indeed – but we must crack on!

Ingredients

3 lemons

1 punnet of raspberries

1 punnet of blueberries (or blackberries)

100g caster sugar

450-600ml double cream (depending upon the size of your freezing container)

½ tsp salt

Dawn: How do I stop the three layers from merging?

Andrew: Patience!

Dawn: I have lots of that!

Andrew: You will need it but it is worth it. This is a three part recipe, as the layers would imply.

Method

• In a bowl, mash the raspberries with a fork. You need to mash until the raspberries are of a pulp-like consistency. You can drain the juice through a sieve, if you wish but we included all the flesh and pips in this ice cream concoction.
• Add one third of the cream, sugar, salt and the juice of half a lemon. Mix well so the red colour is evenly spread.
• Pour into your container and place in the freezer. Wait an hour or until the mixture is reasonably firmly set.

Andrew: All easy so far?

Dawn: Now the next stage is our How To Make Lemon Ice Cream.

Andrew: So we have simplified the instructions here.

• Grate the peel of one of the lemons using the fine side of a grater.
• Squeeze the juice from this grated lemon.
• Combine the lemon juice with one third of the sugar, salt and cream.
• Pour on top of the raspberry layer and return to freezer.
• Wait one further hour or so.

Dawn: Nearly there!

Andrew: Finally for the blue layer. I used local blueberries because I love them so much. The end result was more purple, so I would suggest blackberries for a deeper colour, but you may wish to adjust the lemon juice and sugar to your taste.

• In a clean bowl, mash the blueberries with a fork. They will split and release their juices.
• Add the remaining third of the cream, sugar, salt and the juice of half a lemon. Mix well so the blue colour and the blueberry pulp is evenly spread.
• Pour onto your lemon layer container and return to the freezer.

Dawn: A little more patience…

Andrew: …et voila! La glace tricolore de France!

Dawn: Magnifique!

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