Jamie Oliver Hot & Crispy Ice-cream Parcel

Jamie Oliver’s hot and crispy ice-cream parcel is a fried tortilla wrapped around Nutella and vanilla ice cream, served with caramelised banana, maple syrup and a dusting of cinnamon. It takes 4 minutes and serves 1.

In Simply Jamie (2024) this sits in his puddings, and the whole joy is the hot-and-cold contrast. Warm crisp tortilla and golden fried banana against a cold, melting middle. It’s fried ice cream without any of the batter or deep-frying faff.

The trick is speed and heat. You warm the tortilla for only 20 seconds so it stays foldable, seal the ice cream inside, and fry it fast, one minute a side. The outside crisps and goldens before the middle fully melts, which is exactly the bite you want.

Jamie Oliver Hot & Crispy Ice-cream Parcel

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

2

minutes

Cooking time

2

minutes

Calories

598

kcal

Total time

4

minutes

Jamie’s 4-minute pudding from Simply Jamie: a buttery pan-fried tortilla parcel of Nutella and ice cream, with caramelised banana, maple and cinnamon. Serves one, made to order.

Ingredients

• 1 regular flour tortilla

• 1 ripe banana

• 1 heaped tablespoon Nutella

• 50g (1¾ oz) vanilla ice cream

• 1 knob of unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• ground cinnamon, for dusting

prime30 days freeMissing an ingredient?✓ Free fast delivery   ✓ Cancel anytimeTry Prime freeUnderlined ingredients link to Amazon UK. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Directions

• Warm and start the banana:Warm the tortilla in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat for just 20 seconds, then remove. Peel the banana, halve it lengthways, and place cut side down in the pan.
• Fill and fold:Spread the Nutella in the centre of the tortilla and sit the scoop of ice cream on top. Fold in the sides to cover the filling completely.
• Fry:Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Add the parcel, folded side down, for 1 minute until golden. Flip it, along with the banana, for another minute, then plate up.
• Finish:Tease open the tortilla, drizzle with the maple syrup, and serve right away with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

FAQs

How does the ice cream not just melt everywhere?

Speed is the whole answer. You only warm the tortilla for 20 seconds so it stays pliable but not hot, keep the scoop of ice cream small, and fry the parcel for just a minute a side. The butter crisps the outside golden before the middle has time to fully melt.

You do want it starting to go molten inside, because that soft, cold centre against the hot crisp shell is the point of the dish. That’s also why Jamie makes it serve one and says to eat it right away. Let it sit and it turns to soup.

Why fry it folded side down first?

That first minute seam-side down is what seals the parcel shut. The butter and heat set the folded edges together so the filling stays put when you flip it. Fry it seam-up and the parcel gapes open, letting the ice cream escape into the pan.

Keep the filling modest for the same reason. An overstuffed parcel won’t fold flat or seal cleanly, and it’ll burst. A heaped tablespoon of Nutella and a small scoop is plenty.

Can I swap the Nutella, ice cream or banana?

Any chocolate-hazelnut spread works, and so does Biscoff, peanut butter or a spoon of jam if you fancy a change. For the ice cream, a firmer premium vanilla holds its shape better than a soft scoop. The banana can be left out, though its caramelised sweetness is lovely alongside.

One tip worth adding: this is a very sweet dessert. A tiny pinch of flaky sea salt over the top at the end cuts through and balances it. A drizzle of honey stands in for the maple syrup if that’s what you have.

Should I use a corn or flour tortilla?

Flour, without question. It’s soft and stretchy, so it folds into a neat parcel without cracking and crisps to a golden shell in the butter. A corn tortilla is stiffer and tends to split along the folds, spilling the filling.

Use a regular-sized tortilla rather than a big wrap, which is too large to fold tidily around such a small filling. Flour tortillas earn their keep in savoury cooking too, like Jamie’s sweet potato and black bean tacos, which is really the point he’s making here.

Can I make several at once, or prep ahead?

This is a cook-to-order pudding, so fry them one at a time to keep each ice cream frozen until the second it hits the pan. You can line up the tortillas, spreads and syrup in advance, but never pre-fold with the ice cream inside or it melts before you cook.

For a crowd, just repeat the steps quickly, plating each as it’s done. It scales by hands, not by batch. If you’d rather a pudding you can make ahead and share, that’s a different kind of dessert.

When do I serve it, and what goes with it?

Immediately, while the shell is crisp and the centre is molten. It won’t wait, so have everyone at the table before it leaves the pan. An extra scoop of ice cream, a few fresh berries or more maple all dress it up.

For a proper make-ahead pudding instead, Jamie’s pear and blackberry crumble holds beautifully and feeds a group. There are more puddings and quick wins on the Jamie Oliver recipes page.