LEMONGRASS PARFAIT WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA

SERVES 6–8

Parfait is so easy to make and doesn’t require an ice-cream maker – which is a big advantage. The salsa can be made from any seasonal fruit, particularly stone fruit and berries. You’ll need to begin this recipe a day or two ahead.

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped

750 ml (26 fl oz/3 cups) thin (pouring) cream

3 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

5 lemongrass stems, pale part only, tough outer leaves removed, thinly sliced

330 g (11½ oz/1½ cups) caster (superfine) sugar

12 egg yolks

PINEAPPLE SALSA

400 g (14 oz) pineapple flesh, cut into 1 cm (½ inch) dice (1 small pineapple or ½ medium)

juice of 2 large oranges

small pinch of freshly ground white pepper

1 teaspoon pink peppercorns, lightly crushed

Place the vanilla seeds, cream, vanilla extract and lemongrass in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and when cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, combine the sugar and 270 ml (9½ fl oz) water in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat and cook until the syrup reaches 105°C (221°F) on a sugar thermometer.

Meanwhile, use electric beaters to whisk the egg yolks on medium speed. Pour the hot syrup slowly down the inside of the bowl, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk until cool.

Strain the solids out of the cream mixture and discard. Use electric beaters to whisk the cream to soft peaks. Once the egg yolk mixture is cool, fold in the cream. Pour into a loaf (bar) tin lined with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours (but preferably overnight).

For the salsa, heat a saucepan over high heat and add the pineapple. Sear the pineapple pieces for 1 minute or until they start to caramelise. Reduce the heat to medium, add the orange juice and white pepper, and cook for a few minutes or until the pineapple is tender. Remove from the heat and add the peppercorns.

To serve, dip the loaf tin into hot water for a few seconds, place a chopping board on top and flip over. Cut the parfait into thick slices with a hot knife, and place on serving plates. Top with a few spoonfuls of the salsa.