These decadent honeycomb ice cream sundaes combine caramelised pecans, lemon caramel sauce and honeycomb, all served up in homemade brandy snap baskets. To learn how to make honeycomb at home, visit our handy guide.
Begin by caramelising the pecans. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pecans for 3–4 minutes until slightly softened. While they are boiling, mix the salt and sugar together in a bowl and heat a pan of oil for deep frying to 190°C
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Once the pecans have softened, drain well but don’t let them dry. Tip them into the sugar and salt mixture and toss to cover
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Shake off any excess sugar and carefully(!) lower the pecans into the hot oil – it’s easiest to do this using a slotted spoon. Lower them in then give a brisk stir to stop them sticking together. Line a tray with a silpat mat or some tin foil while they are cooking
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Fry the pecans until the oil stops bubbling, as this is when you know all the moisture has evaporated. They should be covered in an even layer of golden brown sugar. Use the slotted spoon to remove them and scatter over the tray. Separate them from each other using two forks before the caramel starts to set or you will end up with one big lump of sugar and nuts!
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Leave to cool and store in an airtight container until needed
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For the lemon caramel, place the sugar in a small pan and heat to make a caramel. When the sugar is a dark caramel colour, whisk in the lemon juice, followed by the butter. Leave to cool before transferring to a squeezy bottle or small jug
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Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3
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To make the brandy snap baskets, place the sugar, golden syrup, lemon juice and butter in a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts
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Leave to cool slightly before pouring over the flour and ginger and whisk to form a paste
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Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper and divide the mixture into 4. Spread it out into a large circle about 2mm thick
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Bake for 6–7 minutes or until golden brown
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Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly, they should still be hot enough that they are pliable. Drape each brandy snap over the top of a tin can (i.e. a baked beans can) and gently press down the edges to flatten
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Take the ice cream from the freezer 10 minutes before you want to serve it
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Scoop 2 large scoops of ice cream into each basket and drizzle over the caramel. Garnish with the pecans, pieces of honeycomb and grate over the chocolate. Serve immediately
