Duck Egg Sponge with Poached Gooseberries and Lemon Thyme Ice cream

This sums up a ‘Great British Pudding’ for me: a sponge and gooseberries. Using duck eggs ensures that the sponge is rich and deep in flavour – the gooseberries have a wonderful tartness that cuts through this perfectly. Lemon thyme ice cream gives a herby balance to the dish.

Makes 8

For the lemon thyme ice cream

225ml milk

225ml double cream

100g lemon thyme sprigs

5 egg yolks

25g caster sugar

25g glycerine (optional)

For the butter cream

90g unsalted butter, at room temperature

175g icing sugar

about 25ml milk

1 tablespoon lemon thyme leaves

grated zest of 1 large lemon

For the poached gooseberries

about 350g caster sugar

100g lemon thyme sprigs

2 strips of lemon peel

500g small gooseberries, topped and tailed

For the meringue

2 egg whites

110g caster sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour

1½ teaspoons white wine vinegar

For the duck egg sponge

135g unsalted butter, at room temperature

195g caster sugar

1 duck egg

1 duck egg yolk

160g plain flour

rounded ¼ teaspoon baking powder

90g egg whites (from 3–4 hen’s eggs)

grated zest of 1 large lemon

To finish

gooseberry jam

8–16 lemon segments

lemon thyme leaves

Start with the ice cream. Put the milk, cream and half the thyme leaves in a heavy-based saucepan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat, cover with clingfilm and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a bowl. Bring the milk and cream mix back to the boil, then pass through a sieve on to the yolks while stirring. Pour back into the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring all the time, until the custard reaches 82°C. Pass through a sieve into a bowl and whisk in the glycerine and remaining thyme leaves. Leave to cool down completely.

When cold, pass through a sieve again before churning in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the ice cream in the freezer.

Meanwhile, make the other components of the dessert. For the butter cream, beat the butter until soft. Gradually sift in the icing sugar and beat into the butter. Mix in enough milk to make a spreadable consistency. Add the lemon thyme and lemon zest. Set aside at room temperature.

To prepare the gooseberries, put the sugar, lemon thyme sprigs and lemon peel in a saucepan and add 500ml water. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Tip the gooseberries into a bowl and pour over the lemony sugar syrup (if you like, add more sugar to taste). Cover with clingfilm and leave to poach in the residual heat. Once cool, keep in the fridge.

Next, make the meringue. Preheat the oven to 140°C (conventional oven 160°C/Gas Mark 3). Whisk the egg whites, adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time, until they form stiff peaks. Fold in the cornflour and vinegar. Pipe on to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment in little cone shapes. Dry out in the oven for 7–10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 110°C and continue drying for 8–10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the duck egg sponge, turn the oven up to 160°C (conventional oven 180°C/Gas Mark 4). Grease and line a 20cm springform cake tin.

Cream together the butter and 90g of the sugar in a free-standing electric mixer until very soft and pale. Add the whole duck egg and beat until incorporated, then beat in the duck egg yolk. Sift the flour with the baking powder on to a sheet of greaseproof paper or into a small bowl, then add to the mixer bowl and beat until the flour has been fully incorporated.

Whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar and the lemon zest to stiff peaks. Fold into the cake mixture in two equal batches. Pour into the tin and bake for 15–25 minutes until the sponge is lightly browned and springs back when gently pressed in the centre. Set the tin on a wire rack. When the sponge is cool, remove it from the tin and peel off the lining paper.

To serve, trim off the crusty edges from the sponge. Spread gooseberry jam over the top, then spread the butter cream on top of the jam (if the buttercream is very soft, place the sponge in the fridge to set the buttercream for a bit).

Using a knife, portion into eight small cakes of whatever shape you like. Top with the drained poached gooseberries and meringue cones. (You can turn any leftover gooseberries into a fool).

Blowtorch the lemon segments until caramelised, then place them on top of the cakes. Sprinkle with lemon thyme leaves. Serve with the ice cream on the side.

Duck Egg Sponge with Poached Gooseberries and Lemon Thyme Ice cream