Food in books: strawberry and peanut butter ice cream from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

As the UK sizzles in a heatwave, Kate Young conjures up a sweet, cold treat enjoyed by Harry Potter himself

By Kate Young for The Little Library Café, part of the Guardian Books Network

Harry, Ron, and Hermione strolled off along the winding, cobbled street. The bag of gold, silver, and bronze jangling cheerfully in Harry’s pocket was clamoring to be spent, so he bought three large strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice creams, which they slurped happily as they wandered up the alley, examining the fascinating shop windows.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling

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If I was going to pick a week during which to roast a goose, this probably wouldn’t have been it. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t have spent seven hours boiling Christmas puddings in saucepans on the hob either. It’s also not been an ideal week for pastry, and yet I have made four different kinds so far. You see, this week, we’re shooting the recipes for my cookbook. Over the seven-day shoot, we will have made, styled and photographed over 50 recipes, and then served them to hungry friends for dinner each night. It’s been an extraordinary week so far, and I feel so lucky to be working with such a brilliant team - but there is a small part of me (and a large part of the pastry) that wishes the summer had waited another week to arrive.

When the weather in London is like this, I manage to forget that I am technically Australian, and that this should make me feel at home. In truth, it is winter that makes me happy – I love 60 denier tights, and heavy coats, and scarves, and duvets with a tog rating over 10. I love an excuse to light a fire, make soup, and wear thick socks around the house. The summer heat generally makes me feel sluggish and tired, and only really interested in lying around and reading books. This month, with all my focus given to recipes, collecting appropriate props, making lists and prepping my ingredients, I haven’t managed to grab a spare moment to read anything new. It’s the longest I’ve gone without reading a new book all year, and I am missing the time I normally spend in fictional worlds.

But today I discovered that I can still always make time for Harry Potter. This afternoon, on our day off, I went for a run in the evening sun, and then sat with Chamber of Secrets in a cool bath. Like Anne of Green Gables last week, it was pure comfort – something I know almost by heart. I love this moment, when our three heroes find themselves alone in Diagon Alley, and decide to head off after Draco Malfoy. We’ve made five types of ice cream so far this week, but I really fancied a spoonful of this old favourite.

Strawberry and peanut butter ice cream

Serves 10

Ingredients
480ml milk
235ml double cream
100g sugar
5 egg yolks
Pinch sea salt
150g peanut butter
Berry Ripple
200g mixed strawberries and raspberries
200g granulated sugar
Cones
10 waffle cones
75g dark chocolate

Equipment
Two roasting trays
Greaseproof paper
Two 300ml sterilised jars
Large saucepan
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Wooden Spoon
Cling film
Ice-cream machine (or electric hand whisk)
Contained suitable for the freezer
Small saucepan
A couple of glasses/jars
Sieve
Butter knife

1. First, make the ripple for your ice-cream. This is essentially a very soft set jam, roasted rather than cooked over the hob for maximum sweetness. Preheat oven to 170C. Hull and chop strawberries. Line two roasting trays with greaseproof paper, place the strawberries and raspberries in one and sugar in the other, and place both trays in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove, tip the sugar into the fruit (be careful as it’s much hotter than it looks) and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Transfer to the jars, screw the lids on while still hot.

2. To make the ice-cream, bring the milk and cream almost to the boil over a medium heat. While they are heating, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Once the milk and cream are piping hot, slowly pour them into the yolks, whisking continuously to prevent them splitting.

3. Wash out the saucepan, and return the custard to it. Cook over a low heat for around ten minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon. Once thick, whisk the peanut butter into the custard. Pour into a bowl, press a sheet of cling film to the top of the custard. Allow it to cool out of the fridge, then refrigerate until cold, or overnight if you wish.

4. Pour the custard into the ice-cream maker and follow the machine directions to reach soft serve stage.
OR
Pour the custard into the freezer-proof container and place in the freezer. In around an hour, beat it with the electric hand whisk, breaking up any ice crystals that have formed. Repeat hourly for four hours.

5. Sieve your jam to rid it of any seeds and set aside. To ripple the ice-cream, first ensure that it is about the texture of soft serve. Spoon half of the ice-cream into a storage container. Top with the jam, then the rest of the ice-cream. With a butter knife, swirl the ice-cream gently, mixing the layers. Return to the fridge for at least two hours.

6. While the ice-cream is in the freezer, you can prepare the ice-cream cones. Melt the chocolate in a mixing bowl over a pan of hot water and then dip the top of the cones in the chocolate. Shake gently to get rid of any drips and hold the cone upside down for a minute of so. Turn the cone up the right way and leave it to dry in a glass. Repeat with the other cones.

7. Take the ice-cream from the freezer five minutes before you want to serve it. Balance a couple of scoops in a cone and serve.

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