Blanche Vaughan's perfect wild plum blossom ice cream
Spring seems to be a time of taking turns. First the daffodils come out, then the wild garlic before the bluebells. On the trees, before the leaves, comes the blossom. This is the time for those occasionally anonymous little trees, scattered around, to really shine out amongst the rest. Whether it's on the corner of a street in London or poking out of a hedgerow in a field, the explosion of blossom makes them spectacular.
Until recently, I thought blossom was all about visual enjoyment until I was introduced to the idea of cooking with it by my friend Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes in Hackney.
In Japan, where it is natural to find it in both sweet and savoury dishes, there is a national celebration at this time of year, when people make pilgrimages to visit the best blossom displays.
I was conscious of stripping a single tree, so I picked a mixture of plum and wild cherry blossoms, some greengage and damson included. The flavour that steeps out of the flowers, is both delicately floral and almond (a taste you will find in the stones of the fruit). Make the most of the blossom now and then it will be the turn of the fruit to delight us.
Wild plum blossom icecream
Serves 4
2 large handfuls of blossom
200ml double cream
100ml full fat milk
1 vanilla pod, halved with the seeds scraped out
3 egg yolks
30g caster sugar
Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan with the blossom and vanilla seeds. Heat until it is just starting to simmer. Remove and set aside and allow to steep for up to 20 minutes. Strain to remove the blossom.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar for a couple of minutes until pale and creamy. Slowly pour the heated cream in a steady stream onto the yolks, whisking all the time. This will make a lighter, fluffier icecream by incorporating extra air. Return the mixture to saucepan and cook very gently for a couple of minutes so that it thickens slightly.
Pour into a shallow container to cool or churn, if you have an icecream machine.