Chefs' Recipes

Christine Manfield's splice

Christine Manfield's fine-dining take on a splice transforms the classic ice-cream popsicle into a beautiful cake layered with tropical sorbet and passionfruit ice-cream.

By Christine Manfield
  • 1 hr preparation
  • 15 mins cooking plus freezing, chilling
  • Serves 6
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"I created this dish in the early Paramount days as a grown-up version of a childhood memory," says Manfield. "My favourite commercial ice-cream was a Splice, a burst of tropical flavour with a layer of cream inside. At Paramount, the assembly required two different-shaped moulds, which when sliced revealed an internal pattern. This 'slice and serve' dessert is testament to the creative vision of my mentor Phillip Searle and my time spent at Oasis Seros - his chequerboard ice-cream remains a beacon on our modern culinary landscape. Using the construction skills Phillip taught me and without mimicking his dessert, my splice was born. Here, I've simplified the construction. Each of the flavours is layered in small dariole or ring moulds, available from kitchenware shops. Or you could use a loaf tin and serve it cut into slices. It's important to work with fruit that is in season and at its ripest, and with flavours that are compatible, so the result is greater than the sum of its parts."

Ingredients

  • Pulp of 6-8 passionfruit, to serve
Pineapple sorbet
  • 50 gm caster sugar
  • 350 ml strained fresh pineapple juice (see note)
  • 65 gm liquid glucose
Mango sorbet
  • 100 gm caster sugar
  • 25 ml strained fresh lime juice
  • 500 ml strained fresh mango purée (about 4 mangoes; see note) (2 cups)
  • 100 gm liquid glucose
Passionfruit ice-cream
  • 150 gm caster sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 160 ml passionfruit juice (about 12 passionfruit; see note)
  • 350 ml pouring cream

Method

Main
  • 1
    Place six 6.5cm-diameter, 7.5cm-high ring moulds on a tray lined with baking paper in the freezer, or line an 8cm-deep, 25cm x 8cm rectangular loaf tin with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until required.
  • 2
    For pineapple sorbet, whisk sugar into pineapple juice until sugar dissolves. Heat glucose in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to thin, then stir into juice. Churn in an ice-cream machine, then spoon into ring moulds or tin, filling to a third full and smoothing tops (there may be a little sorbet left over) and freeze until firm (1-2 hours for ring moulds; 4-5 hours for loaf tin).
  • 3
    For mango sorbet, whisk sugar and lime juice into mango purée until sugar dissolves. Heat glucose in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, then stir thoroughly into purée. Churn in an ice-cream machine, then spread on top of pineapple sorbet to fill moulds or tin to two-thirds full, smooth tops and freeze until firm (1-2 hours for ring moulds; 4-5 hours for loaf tin).
  • 4
    For passionfruit ice-cream, whisk sugar and yolks in a bowl with a hand-held electric mixer until pale and creamy (3-4 minutes), then whisk in passionfruit juice. Bring half the cream to simmering point in a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk into passionfruit mixture, then place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir continuously until mixture coats the back of a spoon (8-10 minutes). Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl, whisk in remaining cream and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate to chill completely. Churn in an ice-cream machine, then spread on top of mango sorbet, smooth tops and freeze (1-2 hours for ring moulds; 4-5 hours for loaf tin). Cover and freeze until required.
  • 5
    To serve, run sides of moulds quickly under hot water and unmould onto a chilled tray, ice-creamside down, or dip sides of terrine mould into hot water and unmould onto a chilled board ice-creamside down and slice into 2cm-thick slices with a hot, wet sharp knife. Place on chilled plates and serve with passionfruit pulp spooned on top.

Notes

Buy pineapple juice from a juice bar or juice it yourself; 1 pineapple makes about 500ml strained juice. For mango purée, process mango flesh in a blender until smooth and pass it through a fine sieve. For passionfruit juice, process passionfruit pulp in a food processor until seeds crack, then pass it through a fine sieve.
Drink Suggestion: Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling. Drink suggestion by Christine Manfield