serves 4 (or 8 bite size serves)

1 Mother Mary brownie slab (16cm x 5cm), keep cardboard base for a template

½ litre quality vanilla ice-cream

250g strawberries, hulled

1 tablespoon icing sugar

Line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper, overlapping the edges, this makes it easier to pull up later on. Make sure there is space in the freezer to place the tin to sit flat.

Chop the strawberries into small pieces, or place in a small food processor and blend quickly to just finely chop. Place the strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle over the icing sugar. Stir to combine and set aside, Meanwhile, spoon the ice-cream into a bowl of an electric mixer and mix on slow speed for 1- 2 minutes to soften the ice-cream. Add the strawberries and mix to just combined. Spoon the ice-cream mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Transfer to the freezer. Freeze for four hours, or until completely frozen. 

Using a serrated knife, slice the brownie in half horizontally. Separate the top half from the bottom and place side by side on a metal tray. Place in the freezer while waiting for the ice-cream to freeze.

Remove the frozen ice-cream and brownie from the freezer. Working quickly, pull the overhanging paper to lift the ice-cream from the tin. Place the cardboard template on top of the ice-cream and run a hot knife blade (dip in hot water) around the edges to cut out a rectangle shape of ice-cream. Transfer the ice-cream rectangle to cover the brownie base. Cover with brownie top to sandwich the ice-cream. Return the tray to the freezer for about 30 minutes. There’ll also be left over ice-cream to enjoy later.

After 30 minutes put a sharp knife under running hot water, wipe the blade then cut the brownie across into four pieces. Serve immediately or return to freezer until ready to eat.

 Recipe by Fiona Hammond, December 2022