The first ice-cream of the year? No, well, at least it's the first topped with home-made toffee and edible flowers from the garden. 250ml water
175g caster sugar rind of 2 unwaxed oranges good-quality tub of vanilla ice-cream 10-15 cowslip flowers with green bits removed Bring water to the boil. Add sugar stirring all the time to dissolve without sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the rind of the oranges (keeping a small amount back to decorate), and simmer for 20 to 30 min. The toffee should look like a deep cherry wood: keep a good eye on it in the last minutes of cooking as it can quickly turn from toffee to burnt sugar. Pour out on baking parchment placed on a flat baking tray. Leave to cool. When cold, place the toffee in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. It should be brittle enough to break into small shards. To serve, put the ice cream in individual glasses, and arrange the cowslips, orange rind and toffee splinters on top. |
