Bay leaf ice cream with nectarines and crumble

Method

1. To make the ice cream, put the milk and cream in a medium heavy-based saucepan on a low heat. Break the bay leaves in your hands and add them to the pan. Heat gently until it is about to simmer (make sure it doesn’t boil), stirring frequently to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat. This is just to infuse the milk with the flavour of the leaf, like making tea. Taste to make sure it is strong enough for you; if you can’t smell or taste the bay, feel free to add more leaves.

2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and salt, until the mixture becomes aerated and slightly paler. Then pour in a third of the hot cream mixture, whisking continuously. Continue until all the cream is incorporated into the egg mixture. It’s important to stir well at this stage to ensure that all the sugar dissolves into the liquid.

3. Rinse out the pan, pour the custard mixture back into the pan and return to a low heat. Cook the custard, stirring constantly and gently with a spatula or spoon, for 5 minutes, or until it thickens to make a smooth custard (don't boil the custard as it can split or scramble the eggs). To check the custard is thick enough, coat the back of the spoon with custard and draw a line through it with your finger – if the line holds, the custard is ready.

4. Remove the custard from the heat and pour into a clean heatproof bowl or jug. Cover the surface of the custard with a piece of greaseproof paper or cling film, pressing it onto the surface to prevent a skin forming. Allow the mixture to cool for a couple of hours then transfer to the fridge to cool completely.

5. Strain the chilled custard to remove the bay leaves. Pour into the churning chamber of an ice cream maker and churn following the manufacturer’s instructions until thick but not fully frozen. Transfer to a lidded container and freeze for at least 3 hours, or until required.

6. Meanwhile, to make the crumble and nectarines. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Mix the flour, sugar, butter and thyme in a bowl and rub the dry ingredients into the butter using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Line a baking tray with baking paper and sprinkle the mixture over the tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden-brown. Leave to cool.

7. Place the nectarine halves onto a hot barbecue or griddle pan. When they have bar marks, remove from the grill. Transfer to a frying pan with the honey, rosemary, salt and sugar. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until the honey begins to caramalise and the flavours have infused.

8. Serve the ice cream with the nectarines and a spoonful of crumble.