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Boozy Christmas bombe

By Jane Hornby

If you like rum and raisin ice cream, you’ll love this brandy-soaked Christmas bombe

Prep:20 mins
Cook:5 mins
Plus freezing

Serves 8
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 411
fat 24g
saturates 14g
carbs 43g
sugars 40g
fibre 1g
protein 3g
salt 0.14g

Ingredients

100g raisins
100g sultanas
85g pack dried cranberries
6 tbsp brandy
2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
284ml pot double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
100g frozen cranberries (keep them frozen)
600ml good-quality fresh vanilla custard
brandy butter, to serve (optional)
85g light muscovado sugar
175g butter
2 tbsp brandy
100g frozen cranberries

Tip

Make your own ice cream
If you want to make it with your own vanilla ice cream, just use your favourite recipe, adding the brandy, and fold in the fruit once it’s softly frozen.

Method

Put the dried fruit into a large bowl, add 2 tbsp brandy and the sugar, then cover with cling film. Microwave on High for 2 mins until the sugar has melted and the fruit plumped up. Give it a stir, then leave to cool and soak overnight. If you’re short of time, carry on with step 2 and leave to soak for as long as it takes to complete step 2.
Put the cream, remaining brandy and icing sugar into a large bowl and whip to soft peaks. Pour the custard into another bowl and fold the cream into it. Tip into a freezer container and freeze the mix for 4 hrs, stirring the frozen edges into the rest of the mixture every hour or so until the whole tub is soft, but frozen (or use an ice cream machine, churning for 20-30 mins until thick). Meanwhile, line a 1.2-litre pudding basin with cling film.
Once the ice cream mix is thick, quickly fold the soaked fruit (and any liquid from it) and frozen cranberries through it and spoon into the lined basin. Freeze overnight or for at least 6 hrs. To serve, leave bombe at room temperature for 10 mins and turn out onto a serving plate.
To make the cranberry brandy butter sauce, in a heavy-based pan gently heat muscovado sugar and butter until the sugar dissolves.
Splash in brandy, add cranberries and boil gently till the cranberries pop, but still hold their shape and colour the sauce. If you want to, sieve the seeds out of the sauce and add some more cranberries for a really glossy finish. Serve hot or warm.