Make Your Own Mao Shan Wang Durian Ice Cream

This year's Mao Shan Wang harvest has been scarce due to bad weather. So we've turned to the more easily available and economical packets of frozen flesh conveniently stripped off the seeds. They usually come from unsold durians, or fruits that aren’t at their best. But because you’re mixing it with ingredients like cream and sugar in this recipe, you don’t need the crème de la crème of Mao Shan Wangs to make your creation taste awesome. This luscious ice cream requires neither churning in an ice cream machine nor any of the usual constant stirring by hand after it gets popped into the freezer. It’s pretty fuss-free for a frozen treat that’s silky-smooth with very little ice crystals and a powerful durian flavour tempered with cream. We dare say it rivals those from good ice cream parlours.

No-Churn Mao Shan Wang Durian Ice Cream

Makes about 750 ml

Ingredients:

2 cups chilled durian flesh, defrosted in the fridge for no more than a day
¾ cup milk
3 eggs (60g each in its shell)
90g sugar
1½ cups very cold whipping cream (at least 35 per cent fat content)

Method:

1. Place durian flesh and milk in a blender and blitz till smooth. Set aside.

2. Place eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, never allowing the bottom of the bowl to touch the water.

3. Whisk the eggs and sugar until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5-6 mins. If you have a candy thermometer, set it to 63°C. Remove the mixture from the heat as soon as it hits 63°C.

4. Continue whisking the egg mixture for a minute after you remove it from the heat (this stops it from cooking further). Set aside.

5. In another bowl, whip the cream just until stiff peaks form.

6. Whisk the durian mixture into the egg mixture, then fold in the whipped cream to form a smooth blend.

7. Pour into a container and wrap tightly with cling film, pressing the plastic against the surface of the mixture to minimise exposure to air. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Eat within 5 days, keeping the surface of leftovers lined with plastic wrap so the top doesn’t turn icy.

Where to buy durian pulp:

What: Frozen Mao Shan Wang Durian Pulp; $35 a 1kg packet. You need about half a packet for this recipe.

Where: Fruits Top 1 Department Store, 608 Geylang Rd, S389547. Tel: 6748-9041. Open 24 hours daily.

Photo by Ealbert Ho