Strawberry shortcake gelato with táng húlu and raspberry jam drizzle

Preheat the oven to 175°C and lightly grease a muffin tin

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl 

Add in the butter then rub it into the flour mixture

Whisk together the eggs and the milk in a separate bowl, then stir the liquid into the dry ingredients

Divide the mixture between the holes of the muffin tin

Bake for around 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through

Let the muffins cool in the tin for 15 minutes, and then let cool completely on a wire rack. Once the muffins are cool, weigh out 250g of muffin, and crumble it into coarse crumbs

For the strawberry shortcake gelato, bring the chopped strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a simmer

Lower the heat and cook the strawberries until they break down and have a thick, jammy consistency, about 15 minutes

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool 

Warm the milk and vanilla bean paste to 75°C 

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl until the mixture lightens in colour

Take the milk off of the heat, then pour a small amount of the milk into the eggs and whisk it in. Repeat until you have loosened the egg mixture

Whisk the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the milk 

Warm the custard, whisking constantly, until the mix begins to thicken, then remove it from the heat and stir through the cream 

Set aside in the fridge to chill for several hours until cold

Pour the chilled ice cream base into the ice cream machine, and once thick and nearly finished add in the strawberry jam and the crumbled shortcake muffins. If you have the option, use the ‘gelato’ setting which will churn the base at a slower rate and incorporate less air than the setting for standard ice cream. Once churned, transfer to the freezer to firm up

While the ice cream chills, prepare the raspberry jam drizzle. Add all of the ingredients for the drizzle to a pot and bring to a boil over a medium heat 

Reduce the heat until the mixture is at a gentle simmer, and use the back of a wooden spoon to break down the raspberries. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until thick and jammy, then remove from the heat and leave to cool

If it’s a bit too thick once it cools, you can loosen it by whisking in a small amount of water or lemon juice as needed

For the táng húlu first thread the fruit onto kebab sticks 

Cook the sugar and water to 157°C in a high-sided saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar initially if needed

Very carefully coat each of the fruit skewers in the sugar syrup, taking care not to touch the sugar syrup, then set them aside on an oven tray lined with a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat to harden

Serve the gelato topped with a handful of extra crumbled shortcake muffins, raspberry drizzle and táng húlu