Sweet sweet Friday: Mandarin Ice cream

There are swag of cookbooks popular at the moment that boast that each recipe uses just four ingredients. Now, I've had a look at some of them and the claims are true - if you like to eat things made from pasta sauce out of a jar, sausages, frozen hash browns and ready-grated cheese. I may be a terrible snob, but there's no joy in cooking - or eating - that kind of food, no matter how strapped for time or money you are. Instead, you could spend five minutes making this incredible ice cream, which uses just three ingredients.

Mandarin Ice cream
If I was to list my greatest achievements of 2011, this would be one of them. Make it and you'll see what I mean. This is (albeit slightly retrospectively) my entry for this month's Sweet New Zealand blogging event. It's a slight adaptation of a Nigella Lawson recipe (she makes it with lemon juice in How To Eat, and then with pomegranates in Nigella Express).
175g icing sugar
finely grated zest and juice of 2-3 mandarins/clementines/oranges (you need about 1/2 a cup of juice)
500ml cream

Put the zest and juice into a small bowl and let steep for five minutes. Strain into a large bowl and sift in the icing sugar. Stir well, then add the cream. Beat until soft peaks form, then pour into a plastic container (or a loaf tin lined with clingfilm). Cover and freeze for four hours, or until firm. Resist temptation to eat the lot in one go, spoonful by greedy spoonful. It's also very good with last week's chocolate chilli sauce, should you need another reason to make some.

Have a sweet sweet weekend, everyone. Go the All Blacks!