The Stagg Inn
Recipe: Baked figs with honey and whiskey ice-cream
It's hard to believe that a Michelin-starred establishment would serve a dessert that's this simple, but good cooking is about knowing when to leave well alone. Steve prefers Irish whiskey for the ice-cream, but you can use Scotch.
Ice-cream ingredients (serves 6):
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) whiskey
140ml (1/4 pint) full-fat milk
285ml (1/2 pint) double cream
6 medium egg yolks
55g (2oz) clear honey
Method:
1. Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add 75ml (2 3/4fl oz) of the whiskey and flame to burn off the alcohol. Once the flames have died down, stir in the milk and cream. While this is coming to the boil, whisk the egg yolks and honey together in a food mixer until they have doubled in size and become fluffy.
2. Take the milk and cream off the heat and pour half onto the egg yolks. Whisk until combined, then put to one side.
3. Put the remainder of the milk and cream back onto the heat and, when it is boiling, add the egg mixture, turn down the heat and whisk constantly for approximately 1 minute.
4. Pour into a large bowl to lower the mixture's temperature and stir in the last 25ml (3/4fl oz) whiskey. Cover and chill.
5. Once thoroughly cool, churn in an ice-cream machine. Alternatively, pour into a freezerproof container, put in the freezer and beat every 20 minutes until set.
6. Place the warm figs in 6 shallow bowls or on 6 plates, pour over some syrup and put a scoop of honey and whiskey ice-cream in the centre.
Baked figs ingredients:
15 fresh figs, halved
425g (15oz) Demerara sugar
750ml (26fl oz) port
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170ºc/325ºf/gas mark 3.
2. Halve each fig lengthways through the stalk. Place the figs in a baking dish and sprinkle evenly with the sugar and port. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the figs are soft with a good thick syrup.