Caledonian Oatmeal Ice Cream with Fruit Compote

SERVES 8

Serve this delicious oatmeal ice cream with tuiles if you like.

**

FOR THE ICE CREAM:

** 2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup pinhead oatmeal
3 cups double Devon cream
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs

FOR THE SAUCES:
5 strawberries, hulled and halved
3/4 cup assorted fresh berries
6 tbsp. sugar
1 ripe mango, peeled and pitted, flesh cubed

FOR THE COMPOTE:
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups assorted fresh berries
**

1. For the ice cream: Put 1 cup of the sugar and 1 cup water into a small pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to medium and cook until syrup has reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Set aside to let cool.

2. Grease a small sheet pan with oil and set aside. Put oatmeal into a small heavy skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Put remaining sugar and 3 tbsp. water into a small pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, using a pastry brush to brush sugar crystals from sides of pot with cold water, if they form. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until syrup is a rich caramel color and the temperature registers 325° on a candy thermometer, 8-10 minutes. Remove pot from heat, stir in the toasted oatmeal, and pour out onto prepared sheet pan. Let cool, then crush into rice kernel-size nuggets and set aside.

3. Beat cooled syrup in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until slightly thickened. Add cream and milk and beat until soft peaks form. Fold in nuggets. Cover and freeze until mixture begins to set, about 1 hour. Beat again for 1 minute. Transfer ice cream to a 5-cup loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until firm.

4. For the sauces: Put strawberries, assorted berries, 4 tbsp. of the sugar, and 1/2 cup water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until berries are soft and berry syrup thickens and has reduced to 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put mangoes, remaining sugar, and 1/2 cup water into another small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until mango is very soft and sauce has reduced to 3/4 cup, 12-15 minutes. Puree each fruit mixture separately in a clean blender until smooth, then pass each through a fine-mesh sieve into separate small bowls. Cover and refrigerate sauces until cold.

5. For the compote: Put sugar and 1/2 cup water into a small pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until syrup has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in berries and simmer for 15 seconds. Remove pot from heat. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to let cool.

6. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss bread crumbs in butter and toast, stirring frequently, until golden. Transfer crumbs to a wide shallow dish large enough to hold the ice cream loaf.

7. Decorate 8 chilled plates with the berry and mango sauces and set aside. Unmold ice cream by briefly dipping base of pan in hot water to loosen it from edges, then tip ice cream loaf out onto a plate. Cut loaf in half crosswise and return half of the loaf to the pan. Cover pan, return to the freezer, and save ice cream for another use. Transfer remaining ice cream loaf to dish of bread crumbs and coat all sides with the crumbs. Slice loaf into 8 pieces and cut each slice in half lengthwise. Arrange 2 pieces of ice cream on each prepared plate, then spoon some of the fruit compote and its syrup next to ice cream on each. Garnish each plate with a tuile, if you like. Serve immediately.