Deep-fried Organic Chocolate Nut Ice Cream Balls

Submitted by: Micah Carr-Hall

Serves: 10, Green & Black’s

Ingredients

Micah Carr-Hill has the coveted job of chocolate taster at Green & Black’s and is the creative genius behind their products. These ice cream balls are a variation on a recipe he created for one of their ice-cream promotions.

Suitable for vegetarians

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Freezing time: 30 minutes
Frying time: 90 seconds per 3 balls

You will need: ice-cream scoop, non-stick baking tray that fits in the freezer, a deep-fat fryer or deep saucepan

500ml G&B’s organic dark chocolate ice cream
1 pack of filo pastry (30 sheets)
1 large egg yolk
100ml milk
1 - 2 litres sunflower or rapeseed oil for deep-frying
1 teaspoon icing sugar
100g hazelnuts, chopped and toasted
50g G&B’s organic dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids

Method

Take a tub of dark chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and leave it to soften for 10 minutes. Scoop into balls using an ice-cream scoop dipped in hot water, place them on a non-stick baking tray and return to the freezer for half an hour to harden.

Meanwhile prepare the pastry. Cut the filo pastry into 12cm (5in) squares (you will need 30). Make an egg wash by whisking together the egg yolk, milk and icing sugar. Take a square of filo pastry, brush it with egg wash and sprinkle the hazelnuts over it. Lay a second square over the first at an angle and repeat the brushing and sprinkling. Repeat the process with a final square. Continue until you have ten, triple layers of filo brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with nuts.

Preheat a heavy-based saucepan (or a deep-fat fryer), one-third filled with oil, to 180C/350F.

Take the ice cream balls out of the freezer and place one in the centre of each triple layer of pastry. Carefully wrap the filo around the balls without tearing the pastry. If you are not deep-frying the balls straight away put them back in the freezer until you need them so that the ice cream does not melt.

Using a metal slotted spoon, put the wrapped balls into the hot oil (no more than three at a time to ensure the oil does not cool down too much) and fry until golden brown; this will take about 90 seconds. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Serve immediately with shavings of dark chocolate.

Taken from Green & Black’s Chocolate Recipes ‘Unwrapped’ (Kyle Cathie Ltd), £14.99 with kind permission of Green & Black’s

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