Poached fruits in a sweet wine syrup, served with easy, no-churn honeycake ice-cream, make a perfect sweet and light dessert after a festive family meal.
There are lots of traditions surrounding Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) but of course the ones I love most are those to do with food!
For instance, it’s traditional to eat a new fruit, such as a pomegranate or a fig, for the first time this season, and say the shehecheyanu blessing. I like to go one further and try something new for the first time ever.
Rosh Hashanah is a great excuse to try new foods and enjoy new experiences. And of course, to make new traditions – some of our novelties now come back year after year as firm family favourites.
Sweet treats
This recipe for muscat poached fruits and honey cake ice-cream will be one of this year’s new Rosh Hashanah treats. I’m already sure that it will be a returner because it’s just so good!
The honeyed wine syrup really compliments the fruit beautifully, and the slight crunch of the toasted honey cake crumbs in the ice-cream give this dessert a fabulous mixture of tastes and textures. It will be the perfect sweet, light finish to a festive Rosh Hashanah meal.
Delicious dessert wine
I used Herzog Late Harvest Orange Muscat in the fruit poaching syrup, which is a sweet dessert wine from California. It has a rich fruity, floral flavour, with hints of honey, toast and orange peel, so it’s perfect for this dessert. The recipe uses just under half a bottle, so you have the rest to enjoy alongside, or just to toast the New Year – l’chaim!
I haven’t tried it, but I suspect this orange muscat would also be terrific with a cheeseboard featuring chalky goats cheese, salty feta, and maybe a tangy Lancashire.
Soft and spoonable ice-cream
The honey cake ice-cream also has a couple of spoonfuls of the wine in it – the alcohol helps to keep the finished product from freezing rock solid. You could also substitute kosher brandy or a sweet fruity liqueur instead to keep your ice-cream softer, if you prefer.
Poached fruits – prepare ahead dessert
Both the ice-cream and the muscat poached fruits can be prepared a day or two in advance, so they’re ready to serve when you need them – no stress! Just take the poached fruits out of the fridge for half an hour before serving so they aren’t too cold. Lovely.
This recipe serves 6-8 but can easily be halved or doubled. Shana Tova!
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📖 Recipe
Muscat poached fruits with honey cake ice-cream
Ingredients
For the honey cake ice-cream
- 2 400ml cans coconut milk
- 225 g honey cake
- 50 g icing sugar
- 2 tablespoon Herzog orange muscat (optional, or use similar sweet wine or liqueur)
- 2½ tablespoon honey + extra for drizzling
For the poached fruits
- 4 peaches (ripe but firm)
- 2 apples
- 200 ml water
- 100 g sugar
- 4 tablespoon honey
- 300 ml Herzog orange muscat (or similar dessert wine)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
Instructions
To make the ice-cream
- Put the cans of coconut milk in the fridge to chill. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Crumble the honey cake into crumbs either by hand or by blitzing briefly in the food processor. Spread the crumbs out on a lined baking sheet.
- Toast the cake crumbs at 200°C (400°F) for 10-15 minutes, stirring them up several times to ensure even browning. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool, then break up any larger clumps using the end of a rolling pin.
- Remove the coconut milk from the fridge. Turn the cans over and open – you should then be able to pour off the coconut water leaving the thick coconut cream in the can. Spoon the coconut cream into a mixing bowl.
- Using an electric whisk, beat the coconut cream for about a minute. Add the sugar, wine, and honey, and continue to beat until the mixture holds peaks. Add about ¾ of the toasted cake crumbs and fold gently in.
- Pour half the mixture into a freezer proof container and level the top. Sprinkle over half the reserved crumbs and drizzle with honey. Repeat the layers once more. Cover the container and freeze.
To make the poached fruits
- Remove the stones from the peaches and the cores from the apples. Cut each peach into quarters and slice the apples into about 10-12 slices each.
- Put the water, sugar and honey into a saucepan and bring the boil. When the sugar is all dissolved, add the orange muscat, the cinnamon stick and the star anise. Bring back to a gentle simmer.
- Add the apples to the pan and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add the peaches and cook for a further minute. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and leave to cool completely.
To serve
- Remove the ice-cream from the freezer and allow to soften at room temperature for 10-15 minutes for easier scooping. Serve a scoop of the ice-cream with some of the fruit and syrup poured around.
Nutrition
More Favourite Rosh Hashanah Recipes
Other Rosh Hashanah recipes that come back year after year include my yummy apple and honey cookies, these fun head of a fish cookies, colourful and delicious honey roasted root vegetables with apples, and beautiful spiced apple challah. What are your family favourites?
To download more information about Herzog Late Harvest Orange Muscat, click here.
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Kedem Europe, UK distributors of kosher wines such as Herzog Late Harvest Orange Muscat. Thank you for supporting the brands which support family-friends-food.com
frances hopkins
Honey Cake x
Hayley F
Apple and honey cookies. Yum x
cheryl hadfield
honey cake
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet
Absolutely adore muscat! I’ve never made my own ice cream and it looks like I’m missing out of exciting flavours.
Helen
I’ll say Michelle! Home made ice-cream is the best, because the flavours are only limited by your imagination 😀
Jan Bennett
Oh wow Honey Cake Ice Cream – I have to make this! Perfect combo with those poached fruits – lovely recipe.
Helen
Thanks Jan! I love ice-cream of all flavours and this one was terrific 😀
Dannii
What a beautiful looking dessert. I love poached fruit – the texture is amazing.
Helen
Thanks Dannii. Yes, the peaches especially are lovely and soft and silky. Yum!
Adam Hill
Rosh HaShannah – I get to blow my own trumpet – sweetly
Phyliss Miller
I love hearing the shofar and the services
Solange
Honey cake.
Dena
Honey cake. And taigelach.
Michelle Watson
Honey cake of course! And I also make little apple rose tarts. Apple tarts that look like roses. So pretty and always go down well for tea on Rosh Hashana.
Helen
They sound lovely!
Elana
I love taigelach!!
Helen
Yum! A real family favourite 🙂
Gitta Zarum
I love moscat wines!