Honey and Almond Parfait

The richness of the honey is wonderfully balanced by the addition of the smooth almond milk, which gives this parfait a decadent and creamy flavour

1. To make the parfait, heat the honey in a small pan until it runs freely. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are thick and pale in colour. Slowly pour the honey into the egg yolks, whisking constantly until the honey is completely incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until just firm and whisk in the almond milk and almond extract.

2. Fold the honey and egg yolk mixture into the cream. Line the pudding basins with cling film. Pour the parfait into the lined basins, cover with cling film and put in the freezer to set.

3. To make the coulis, put the berries in the base of a shallow, solid steam container and stir in the caster sugar and the crème de cassis. Place in the Miele steam oven and steam at 100°C for 4 minutes. Using a hand held blender, blitz the cooked berries to a smooth puree. Pass through a sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside until ready to serve.

4. To make the raspberry cream, place the raspberries in a saucepan and heat gently until cooked and collapsed. Puree the raspberries and again, pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Return to the pan and sprinkle over the agar agar flakes. Bring to the boil and stir to dissolve the flakes. Continue to simmer until the puree thickens. Remove from the heat and when cool, place in the fridge to set. Finally, stir in the crème fraiche and caster sugar. If the raspberries are very sharp, add a little more sugar to taste.

5. To make the ‘Langue de Chats’ biscuits, preheat the Miele oven on Fan plus, 200°C. In a bowl, beat the butter to soften then add in the sugar and continue to beat until well incorporated. Stir in the egg whites followed by the flour and almond extract.

6. Place a sheet of non-stick paper on the baking tray and spread a very thin layer of mixture evenly over the paper, Place the tray in the oven for 6 – 8 minutes and bake until just going golden brown around the edges. Working quickly, using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut out triangular shapes from the hot biscuit. Lift them off the tray with a palette knife and immediately wrap the base around a rolling pin to create a curve. Allow them to cool on the rolling pin. Repeat with remaining mixture. Store the cooled biscuits in an airtight container.

7. To serve the dessert, unmould the parfait from the pudding basin and place in the centre of the plate. Spoon around some of the coulis and balance a ‘Langue de Chats’ biscuit against the parfait. Pipe some dots of raspberry cream on to the plate and decorate with the edible flowers and some cut berries. Serve immediately before the parfait melts.

Food Tip:

• Try using different flavours of honey e.g. heather honey in the parfait

Appliance Tip:

• As an alternative for the coulis, gently cook the berries in the Sous Chef Warming Drawer at 85°C for 2 hours.