Great Wall of China green tea ice cream with candied walnuts
Instructions:
- For the candied sticky walnuts:
- 71⁄2 oz walnut halves;
- 1 lb golden syrup;
- 2 tablespoons soft light brown sugar.
- Heat a pan over a medium heat, and add the tea leaves, cream and caster sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar, then put to one side and leave to cool. Once cooled, transfer to an ice-cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to make ice cream, then transfer to the freezer.
- When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a medium pan and dry-toast the walnuts for 1 minute. Add the golden syrup and warm through, stirring to coat the walnuts in the syrup. Line a roasting tin with greaseproof paper, pour the walnuts and syrup in and then sprinkle over the brown sugar. Place in the oven for 3-4 minutes to dissolve the sugar a little – when the sugar cools it will form a glaze and stick the syrup to the walnuts further. Leave these to cool slightly.
- Divide a large round plate into three sections – imagine three lines leading from the rim of the plate all meeting in the centre. Starting from the centre of the plate and using chopsticks or wetted fingers, place four or five pieces of walnut along each line, then top with three or four, then two or three, and so forth, so that the wall becomes lower as you reach the edge of the plate. Place a generous scoop of ice cream in each of the three sections between the walls and decorate the peaks of the ice cream with mint sprigs. Sprinkle over some crushed cornflakes and serve immediately. Place some dessertspoons to share at the table between two.