I've added a good drizzle of Mangawhai Honey to this refreshing dessert, which I picked up from the Saturday Mangawhai market. It has a full-bodied manuka flavour that shines through and pairs wonderfully with thyme. When figs are abundant, this is a great way to use them.
HONEY AND THYME ICE CREAM WITH FIGS RECIPE
Serves 4
1 cup cream
1 cup full milk
½ cup runny honey, plus extra to drizzle
6 egg yolks
¼ cup caster sugar
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Figs
4 ripe figs, halved
½ cup port
½ cup red wine
½ cup sugar
Hokey Pokey
½ cup caster sugar
¼ cup golden syrup
1 tsp baking soda
Extra thyme leaves, to serve
1. Into a large pot place the cream, milk and honey, bringing to a boil. Remove.
2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until creamy. Slowly pour in the cream mixture, whisking as you do. Return to a clean pot. Heat slowly, stirring until the mixture coats the back of your spoon. Stir through the thyme leaves, pour into a bowl, cover and leave to cool completely.
3. If you have an ice cream machine, churn the custard and place into the freezer. If not, half-freeze the custard, beat, then refreeze.
4. For the figs, in a small pot simmer the port, wine and sugar for 5 minutes. Add the figs and cool for a further 2 minutes until just softened. Cool.
5. To make the hokey pokey, firstly lightly grease a small oven tray. Warm the sugar and golden syrup to dissolve, stirring continuously in a pot. Bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir through the baking soda, letting it fluff up. Pour onto the baking tray and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
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Advertise with NZME.6. Serve the ice cream with figs and crushed hokey pokey. Add a drizzle of honey and extra thyme leaves for the finishing touches.
This recipe was originally published in volume seven of Viva Magazine.
