Fruit salad à la Maltaise

À la Maltaise” is a French culinary term that literally means “in the Maltese style,” referring to Malta.

In cooking, it usually indicates that the dish features or is flavoured with oranges.  In this version, the fruit salad  has a foundation of orange ice cream but, then, consist of more tropical fruit – bananas, pineapple.  Cherries and oranges finish it off.

Preparation Time: 30 Mins

Cooking Time: 10 Mins

Total Time: 2 Days

Ingredients

For 6 servings…

  Orange ice cream

  Pineapple  - cut into cubes  

  Cherries  - pitted 

  Bananas  - sliced 

  Cream  - whipped

  Orange  - peeled segments  

  Curaçao         

For the orange ice cream

2                    Oranges    

10 cl                Sugar       

½ tbs               Lemon juice            

30 cl                Milk         

30 cl                Cream  - double       

2                    Egg yolks   

3 drops            Vanilla essence        

Method

To make the orange ice cream (do this in advance)…

Cut the peel from half an orange and chop it into quarter-inch lengths and then into quarter-inch squares.

Place the peel in a saucepan with water to cover and blanch for 10 minutes.  Drain and peel well, mix it with a tablespoon of the sugar and reserve it.

Juice the oranges, add the lemon juice and chill.

In a heavy saucepan, scald the milk, cream and remaining sugar over a medium-low heat.  Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved.

Whisk the egg yolks until they coat the whisk.  Slowly whisk the scalded milk mixture into the beaten yolks and allow to cool - stirring from time to time.  When the mixture is cool, add the vanilla and chill thoroughly.

Stir the juice into the base mixture along with the preserved orange peel and churn in an ice-cream maker for about twenty-five minutes.  Transfer to a container and put into a deep freeze until ready to use.

To assemble the fruit salad…

Put a layer of ice cream in the bottom of a glass bowl.  Arrange the banana cherries and pineapple on top and decorate with the cream and peeled orange segments.  Pour over some Curaçao.

Serve immediately.

Wine recommendations

          A sweet muscat-style wine.

  Conventional

           Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise

  Interesting

           Monbazillac

           Moscatel Sherry

           Moscato d'Asti