“Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better.”

^{-Robert Redford}

Don’t panic. This recipe does not involve fiddling around with masses of egg yolks, or finding the ice cream machine in the back of the cupboard. The only thing you have to do is to buy a decent quality ice-cream. Talk about passing off – some on offer should be illegal in my book. Go here for a post on which to avoid, which to go for, and how to choose wisely.

This ice cream tastes wonderful and, because it forms itself miraculously into three layers, it also looks wonderful. You don’t really taste the crème de menthe (probably a good thing – I find it a bit sweet and sticky) but it makes all the difference – the ice cream has a zingy, fresh taste.

Recipe for layered crème de menthe ice cream with Oreo biscuits

Serves about 20 people

Ingredients

• 1 litre (2 tubs)/1.8 pints good quality vanilla ice cream (see above, re choosing a good one)
• 16 Oreo biscuits (154g/6 oz pack)
• 50g/2 oz (half a 100g bar) 70% plus dark chocolate
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 280g/2 cups icing sugar
• 50g/2 oz (a fifth to a quarter of a brick) of butter
• 80 ml/⅓ cup crème de menthe
• you could garnish if you like with buds of mint

Method

1. Take the ice cream out of the freezer.
2. Crush the Oreos with a rolling pin in a freezer bag.
3. Melt the butter and the chocolate in a bain marie (do not let the top saucepan or bowl touch the water in the pan beneath it).
4. Take off the heat and add the eggs and sugar.
5. Pour into a high sided baking tin and sprinkle over the biscuit crumbs.
6. Freeze for half an hour.
7. Meanwhile mix the by-now-softened ice cream with the crème de menthe.
8. Pour it over the now-frozen biscuit mixture.
9. Refreeze again and serve.

This post is dedicated to David Johansson and Elaine.

Below, listen to Let It Go, from the Disney film, Frozen.