by Fergus Henderson & Trevor Gulliver from The Book of St. John (Ebury Press)
Photography by Jason Lowe.
If you do not have an ice cream machine, then parfait is your friend. Ah, the joy of parfait!
Makes 1 loaf tin – enough to serve 8-10
Ingredients
4 free-range eggs
160g caster sugar
600ml double cream
100g honey
35ml rum (Nigel says ideally dark rum)
250g raisins
Method
Pre-soak the raisins in the rum for an hour or two minimum.
Line a loaf tin with baking parchment.
Place the whole eggs in a bowl with the sugar & whisk vigorously until the mixture has doubled in size – you will need an electric whisk for this task.
In a separate bowl whisk together the cream & honey until they form medium-soft peaks. Take care not to over-whisk.
Fold the cream mixture & the egg mixture together, along with the raisins, then pour this into the tin & freeze, covered with cling film.
This parfait is excellent served with a biscuit on the side; a piece of shortbread or a fig roll perhaps.
In the Book of St John there are other ‘Parfait Possibilities’, including Honey & Brandy; Brown Bread & Marmalade; Prune & Almanac.