Blackberry compote, fennel and raisin ice-cream
Ingredients
(4 portions)
2lb blackberries
100ml sugar syrup
100g muscat sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
For the sugar syrup
1lb castor sugar
½ pint water
Juice and zest of 2 limes
For the ice-cream 600ml milk 300ml double cream
6 egg yolks
100g castor sugar sieved
100g raisins (soaked 24 hours in 100ml sugar syrup)
1 large head fennel
3 star anise
½ vanilla pod
100ml sugar syrup
For vanilla biscuits
22g castor sugar
125ml cold water
2 vanilla pods split and scraped
For the garnish
Pinch of ground saffron
8 small bay leaves deep-fried then dipped in sugar
2 vanilla pods (left from making biscuits) cut into 8 pieces deep-fried then dipped in sugar
Method
Combine ½lb blackberries 100 sugar syrup and 100g muscat sugar in a liquidiser pass through a fine sieve.
To make ice-cream whisk egg yolks and sugar set aside. Put star anise and milk in a saucepan bring to boil and remove from heat. Gradually whisk milk into yolk/sugar mixture. Whisk until thoroughly incorporated. Return to pan and cook over low heat to make a light custard. When it coats the back of a spoon pass through a fine sieve and cool.
Remove outer leaves from fennel chop to fine brunoise. Heat in 100ml sugar syrup for 5 minutes until transparent but still crunchy. Drain and cool. Drain raisins dry mix with fennel.
Place ingredients into ice-cream machine. When mixture just thickens slowly add double cream. Place in freezer.
To make the vanilla biscuits place castor sugar cold water and insides of vanilla pods in a medium pan bring to boil and cook until light brown.
Remove from heat lightly whisk. Pour on to a well-oiled surface.
When just cooling roll out with greased rolling pin as thinly as possible until almost transparent. While still warm cut eight 3in discs with cutter or by hand.
Put a biscuit on each plate. Heat blackberries and prepared sauce together in pan. Place large spoonful on biscuit then a scoop of ice-cream. Top with biscuit. Sprinkle saffron on to the biscuit. Add bay leaves and vanilla pods.
