Burnt strawberry, elderflower and barley Neapolitan

DAY ONE

For the black barley ice cream, soak the koji in the milk overnight two days before you want to serve

For the elderflower parfait, start by infusing the cream two days before you want to make the dessert. Heat the cream until almost boiling then pour over the elderflower heads. Cover the surface of the cream, leave to cool and infuse it overnight in the fridge

DAY TWO

The next day, strain the koji-infused milk through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the koji. Place in a Thermomix along with the other ingredients and a pinch of sea salt and cook until it reaches 85°C

Blend on high until very smooth, then chill thoroughly, ideally overnight

Strain the elderflower-infused cream through a fine mesh sieve and discard the flowers. Bloom the gelatine in cold water

To make a pâte à bombe, place the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Heat the sugar and 50g of the cordial in a small saucepan until it reaches 110°C

When the sugar approaches 110°C, begin to whisk the egg yolks on a medium speed until pale. When the sugar reaches 121°C turn the mixer down to slow, and pour the sugar onto the yolks down the side of the bowl. Continue to whisk on a medium speed for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is cool and is forming ribbons

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 25g of elderflower cordial in a small pan. Remove the gelatine from the cold water and squeeze it thoroughly to remove excess water. Stir the gelatine into the cordial to dissolve, then quickly pour this into the stand mixer as the pâte à bombe cools

Gently whip the elderflower-infused cream to soft peaks, then carefully fold into the cooled pâte à bombe. Pour into a mould and place in the freezer overnight. If you want to make the layered ‘neopolitan’, pour the parfait into a large loaf or brownie tin lined with baking paper, big enough to fit this plus the second layer. Allow to freeze for at least a couple of hours for the surface to firm up. Meanwhile, make the second parfait

For the burnt strawberry parfait, first make a burnt strawberry purée. Light a barbecue or preheat a griddle pan. Grill the strawberries over a gentle heat until they take on a nice colour

Remove the strawberries from the skewers and transfer into a pan. Cook them gently until they break down into a purée which has reduced by half and weighs just over 200g

Once the purée has reduced, leave it to cool then chill in the fridge

Once chilled, blend the purée briefly in a blender then push through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Weigh out 200g of the purée and set aside

Bloom the gelatine in cold water. Put the sugar and 25g of the strawberry juice in a pan on a low heat and heat it to 117°C. Place the egg yolks in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a handheld electric whisk). Whip on a high speed until pale and fluffy – this will take 3-4 minutes. Once the sugar and juice reaches 117°C, pour over the beating egg yolks in one go (i.e. not slowly) and whisk until the eggs are cooled (about 5 minutes on medium to high speed). Both parfaits are made by taking the sugar to ‘soft-ball’ stage, but the slightly lower temperature used here treats the fruit juice a little gentler

Meanwhile, warm the remaining 20g of strawberry juice in a small pan. Remove the gelatine from the cold water and squeeze it thoroughly to remove excess water. Stir the gelatine into the pan to dissolve, then pour the mixture into the pâte à bombe. Add 200g of the burnt strawberry purée and continue to mix until completely incorporated. Finish by adding the soft whipped cream in 3 stages – still using the whisk attachment

Freeze the parfait in whichever mould or moulds you like. Or, pour on top of the frozen elderflower parfait to make the double layer. Set overnight in the freezer

DAY THREE

Once chilled overnight, freeze the ice cream base in Pacojet containers at -20°C (or churn in an ice cream machine)

For the strawberry crisp, mix all of the ingredients well together then spread onto nonstick mats sprayed with baking spray. Dehydrate at 80°C for 1½ hours, checking regularly – it might take a little longer, but should have no wet or sticky spots present. It will go brown if left for too long. It will feel pliable when you remove it from the dehydrator but crisp up as it cools

To serve, cut 8-10 slices of the parfait, and put them on a tray. Allow to temper in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Pacotise the black barley ice cream if needed, or just remove it from the freezer for a few minutes to soften

Arrange the cut strawberries in a small bowl with the picked elderflowers, to serve alongside

Transfer a slice of parfait onto each plate, add a small rocher or scoop of the barley ice cream on top, place on a few individual elderflowers and finish with the strawberry crisp. Garnish with a wild strawberry on each plate, if using