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How to make an ice-cream sandwich

Use wafers, brioche, French toast or butternut snap biscuits to make these icy cold treats at home.

Jill Dupleix
Jill Dupleix

Go your own way: Sandwich vanilla ice-cream with berry jam or go for double-choc (below).
Go your own way: Sandwich vanilla ice-cream with berry jam or go for double-choc (below).Edwina Pickles

What is it?

Ice-cream, sandwiched between anything from wafers to waffles. What started as a summer fad sold from pushcarts in New York in 1900, came to Australia as the ''cream between'', morphing into Monaco Bars, Maxibons, and, more recently, Pat and Stick's Ice-cream Sandwiches. Now, creative interpretations are melting hearts on dessert menus across the country.

Where is it?

Sandwich of choice: Ice-cream sandwich.
Sandwich of choice: Ice-cream sandwich.Edwina Pickles
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In Sydney, chef Jeremy Strode has had an ice-cream sandwich on the menu since day one at the Fish Shop in Potts Point.

''We make a mascarpone parfait and sandwich it in thin layers of chocolate sponge and serve it with our famous salted caramel sauce,'' he says. ''I've tried to take it off the menu but everyone insisted we leave it. Like, really insisted.''

Melbourne's Huxtable is also deeply committed to the ice-cream sarnie, serving it with a sweet inner heart of fudge.

''I grew up with them in New Zealand,'' says co-owner Daniel Wilson. ''Every batch we make is different, from roasted almond ice-cream with dark chocolate fudge, to Christmas pudding ice-cream with brandy custard.'' His tip? ''Cut the ice-cream into the shape you want and pre-freeze it, so that it's ready to go.''

Why do I care?

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Because it's ice-cream. In a sandwich. Of course you care.

Can I do this at home?

Yes. Use wafers, brioche, French toasts, chocolate biscuits, gingernut or butternut snap biscuits, or those crisp little sesame seed wafers from the corner store.

Sourcing

Victoria: Huxtable 131 Smith Street, Fitzroy 03 9419 5101

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New South Wales: The Fish Shop 22 Challis Avenue, Potts Point 02 9326 9000

Make it: Double choc ice-cream sandwich

Smash chopped dark chocolate into chocolate ice-cream as here, sandwich vanilla ice-cream with whole-berry jam, or come up with your own combo.

500g rich chocolate ice-cream

100g dark chocolate, chopped

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For the biscuits

100g butter

80g castor sugar

1 large egg yolk

170g plain flour

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½ tsp baking powder

pinch of sea salt

½ tsp cinnamon or mixed spice

1 extra tbsp castor sugar


1.
Heat the oven to 180C. Soften the ice-cream, stir in the chopped chocolate and refreeze in a tray.

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2. To make the biscuits, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk.

3. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and spice, mixing well with a butter knife. Squish the mixture together and knead briefly until smooth.

4. Cover the dough with cling film and roll out finely on a lightly floured bench. Cut into eight 8 centimetre rounds and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

5. Scatter with castor sugar and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until just cooked, but not browned. Gently transfer to a wire rack - they will crisp as they cool.

6. Use the same cutter to cut out the ice-cream, sandwich it between two biscuits and serve.

Makes 4

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Jill DupleixJill Dupleix is a Good Food contributor and reviewer who writes the Know-How column.

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