ICE CREAM
150g/½ cup honey
400ml/1¾ cups double/heavy cream
200ml/generous ¾ cup milk
1 vanilla pod/bean
A pinch of salt
6 egg yolks
FIGS
8 figs
2tsp runny honey
PRALINE
40g/⅓ cup whole almonds
70g/⅓ cup caster/superfine sugar
1tbsp cold water
Juice of ½ lemon
CREAM
100ml/scant ½ cup double/heavy cream
½tsp vanilla bean paste
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a joy of a book: a story about uninspired, down-at-heel governess Guinevere Pettigrew. After an extraordinary day, and through a series of entirely unexpected events, she finds herself enjoying an ‘ambrosial dessert’, at a fancy party in the early hours of the morning. Her enjoyment of the dessert, and of the situation she suddenly finds herself in, is palpable, and stayed with me long after I finished reading. Ambrosial suggests figs and honey to me, so I have turned to them here.
Serves 4
1. Make the ice cream the day before you plan to eat. Bring the honey to a simmer in a small saucepan, and cook to a rich, dark amber. Put the pan in a bowl of cold water to stop it cooking.
2. While the honey is still warm and runny, add the cream and milk. Split the vanilla pod and add it too, along with a pinch of salt. Heat until almost simmering. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl.
3. Pour the hot milk and cream over the yolks, whisking constantly. Wash out the saucepan, pour the custard back into it and place over a low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until thick enough to coat the back of it. Remove the vanilla pod. Pour into a freezer-proof container, cover, and place in the fridge to cool completely.
4. Once cold, transfer to the freezer or to an ice-cream maker. If in the freezer, whisk vigorously every hour for the first 3 hours to break up any ice crystals, then leave to freeze for a few hours, or overnight.
5. To prepare the figs, heat the oven to 180C fan/400F/gas 6. Cut a cross almost completely through each fig. Stand them cut-side up in an ovenproof dish, drizzle over the honey and roast for 25 minutes, until soft and sticky.
6. To make the praline, place the almonds in the oven (while the figs are roasting) for 10 minutes, until fragrant and slightly browned. Chop, then scatter in a single layer onto a lined baking sheet. Place the sugar and water in a pan, bring to the boil and then simmer until you have a rich amber caramel. Add the lemon juice, then pour the liquid over the almonds. Leave to cool and hardened, then chop into shards.
7. To serve, whip the cream to soft peaks and fold in the vanilla. Serve a scoop of the ice cream with a couple of warm figs, a drizzle of their ambrosial liquor, a spoonful of the cream and some praline.