Remember ‘dessert island’ not desert island… you’ll need a fully equipped kitchen for this one! But boy is it worth it for this dramatic dessert.
Equipment and preparation: you will need an electric ice cream maker, food processor or blender, a hand-held stick blender, an electric hand mixer, 33x23cm/13x9in Swiss roll tin, a piping bag and a zip lock bag.
For the ice cream, mix 3 tablespoons of the coconut milk with the cornflour to form a smooth paste. Put the rest of the coconut milk and the coconut cream into a saucepan along with the paste and heat gently.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, agave nectar and caster sugar. Remove the coconut milk from the heat before it boils and gently add a splash to the whisked eggs, whisking continuously. Add the remainder of the warmed coconut milk mixture, a little at a time, and whisk thoroughly until combined. Place the bowl in a deep pan over a bowl of iced water and continue to stir until slightly thickened.
Add the mango purée, lime juice and zest to a blender. Add the cooled coconut milk mixture and blend until fully combined. Pour the contents into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to make ice cream.
Pour the ice cream onto a sheet of cling film and shape into a cylinder shape, rolling the end up to ensure a tight seal. Keep rolling the ice cream until the cylinder is about 30cm/12in long and 13cm/5in in diameter. Place in the freezer.
For the pineapple jam, put the pineapple flesh and juice in a large saucepan. Add the sugar and star anise and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the pineapple is translucent. Add the vanilla bean paste and lime zest. Stir to combine then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Blend until smooth using a hand-held blender.
For the decorative pattern, line a 33x23cm/13x9in Swiss roll tin with baking parchment.
Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Add the sugar and continue to whisk. Fold in the flour with a spatula until combined. Colour the mixture using a little of the gel food colouring.
Add the coloured mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/½in nozzle. Pipe diagonal lines 2cm/¾in apart onto the baking parchment. Place the tray in the freezer for 30 minutes.
For the joconde sponge, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites using an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Add the sugar, a bit at a time, whisking in between each addition. Once glossy, set aside.
Add the almonds and icing sugar to another bowl and then add the whole eggs. Whisk at high speed until doubled in volume. Fold in the flour gently using a spatula. Gently fold in the reserved egg whites until fully combined.
Remove the Swiss roll tin from the freezer and carefully add the sponge mixture using a palette knife to gently smooth the surface. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until pale and golden-brown in colour.
Remove the cake and turn it out onto a wire rack. Peel off the baking parchment to reveal the pattern. Leave to cool completely.
To assemble the ice cream roll, lay the sponge, pattern facing down, onto a piece of baking parchment slightly larger in size. Spread jam over all of the sponge in an even layer.
Remove the ice cream from the freezer and unwrap it. Place the ice cream onto the sponge at one end and gently roll up until the ends of the sponge meet - you may have to overlap slightly or cut excess off. Place on a baking tray seam-side down and return to the freezer to harden.
Serve in slices.
