Almond flummery

Serves 8

30 g (1 oz) almonds

30 g (1 oz) apricot kernels

1 teaspoon rosewater

400 ml (14 fl oz) milk

400 ml (14 fl oz) thick (double) cream

2 tablespoons white sugar

9 gelatine leaves

Blanch and skin the almonds and apricot kernels by pouring boiling water over them to make the skins come off. Rinse under cold water and dry them in a clean tea towel (dish towel) to rub off the last of the skins.

Grind the apricot kernels and almonds with the rosewater using a mortar and pestle, until you get a purée. In a medium saucepan, add the almond purée to the milk and cream, add the sugar and bring it to the boil, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly in the pan to soak up all the flavours of the almonds.

Strain the cream mixture and discard the almond pulp. Soak the gelatine briefly in enough water to cover the leaves, until softened. Then gently squeeze the gelatine to remove the water and stir it into the warm almond cream mixture until fully dissolved. Allow it to cool, but don’t leave it long enough to set. Pour it into a wet mould and put it in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours, preferably overnight.

The larger the mould, the more gelatine you will require for it to stand up. You may have to experiment with your chosen mould. For flummeries in glasses you may use 1 leaf of gelatine to 100 ml (3½ fl oz) of liquid.

To unmould, wet one of your hands and use it to loosen the jelly. Allow the jelly to slide out onto a wet plate (if the plate is wet, you can easily move the jelly around if necessary).

An alternative way to make almond milk is to use 700 ml (24 fl oz) water and 40 g (1½ oz) each of almonds and apricot kernels. Put the mixture in the fridge overnight, then add 100 ml (3½ fl oz) thick (double) cream and warm the mixture in a saucepan over low heat.