Cherry and pistachio parfait

SERVES 10

PREPARATION TIME 35 minutes (+ cooling and 1 hour chilling)

COOKING TIME 10–15 minutes

FREEZING TIME 6 hours

110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

4 egg yolks, at room temperature

300 ml (10½ fl oz) thickened (whipping) cream

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped

45 g (1¾ oz/¹/₃ cup) pistachios, finely chopped

Fresh cherries, to serve

CHERRY SYRUP

250 g (9 oz) cherries, pitted

110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 To make the cherry syrup, place the cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Stir over medium–low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a simmer, then simmer for 3 minutes or until syrupy. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool to room temperature.

2 Pour the cherry mixture into a sieve set over a heatproof bowl to drain, reserving the syrup. Finely chop the cherries. Refrigerate the syrup and cherries separately.

3 Grease a 1.75 litre (61 fl oz/7 cup) loaf (bar) tin and line the base and sides with two strips of non-stick baking paper, with each strip extending over two opposite sides. Combine the sugar with 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) water in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Place a sugar thermometer in the syrup and boil until it reaches 117°C (243°F) (soft ball stage) (pic 1).

5 Meanwhile, place the eggs and egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl and use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whisk until very thick and pale. With the motor running on medium–high, pour the hot sugar syrup in a steady stream onto the egg mixture, whisking constantly until incorporated (pic 2). Increase the speed to high and whisk for a further 5 minutes or until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Transfer to a large bowl.

6 Use an electric mixer to whisk the cream and vanilla seeds until very soft peaks form. Gently fold the cream into the egg mixture with the pistachios until just combined (pic 3).

7 Spread the chopped cherries over the base of the prepared tin. Pour over the pistachio mixture and smooth the surface. Cover with the overhanging paper, then plastic wrap and freeze for 6 hours or until frozen.

8 About 1 hour before serving, place serving plates and a tray in the freezer to chill. To unmould the parfait, loosen it from the tin using the paper lining and invert onto the chilled tray. Use a sharp knife, dipped in boiling water and then dried, to cut the parfait into slices. Serve on the chilled plates with the cherry syrup and fresh cherries.

TIP You can also make this parfait in 10 lightly greased 160 ml (5¼ fl oz/²/₃ cup) metal dariole moulds or ceramic ramekins. Small plastic yoghurt containers or freezer-proof teacups can also be used.