Apricot ice cream, compote and purée

Begin by making the ice cream base. Beat together the sugar and egg yolks until the sugar has dissolved, then pour in the milk, cream and salt. Seal the mixture in a bag and cook in a water bath for 90 minutes at 68°C, then chill in iced water and then pass through a fine sieve

Meanwhile, prepare the apricot purée. Chop the apricots into small pieces and place in a saucepan with the sugar and water. Cook until the fruit is completely soft then purée until smooth in a blender

Transfer the apricot purée to a thick bottomed pan, add the agar agar and xanthan gum and bring the mixture to the boil, whisking all the time so the apricot doesn't catch. Pour the apricot mixture onto a flat tray and leave to set in the fridge. Once set, transfer to a blender and blitz again until smooth. Pass the apricot purée through a fine sieve, reserving a little of the purée in a piping bag for garnish

To finish the ice cream mix the ice cream base with the apricot purée until thoroughly combined. Place the ice cream into a pacojet container and transfer to the freezer until frozen solid. Churn in the pacojet just before serving, or alternatively churn in an ice cream maker

To make the apricot compote, score the apricots on the bottom and blanch for 2-5 seconds in boiling water, then immediately refresh in iced water for 30 seconds. Remove the apricots from the iced water, pat them dry and then remove the stones

Make a stock syrup from the sugar and water, then add the vanilla pods and seeds and bring to the boil. Allow the syrup mixture to cool and compress with the apricots in a vacuum bag. Remove and roughly chop 4 of the apricots to a compote consistency, reserving the other 8 halves to plate

For the champagne jelly, heat the champagne very gently with the gelatine until dissolved. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a tray and leave in the fridge to set. Once set, chop the jelly into small pieces and transfer to a piping bag

To serve, place a spoonful of compote onto the centre of each plate and top with an apricot half. Pipe alternate dots of apricot purée and champagne jelly around the apricot and top the halves with a quenelle of ice cream. Garnish with a dried vanilla pod and serve