Recipe: Feijoas with saffron ice cream

Feijoas with saffron ice cream. Photo / Michael Craig

"We are right in the middle of feijoa season so it seems most appropriate to feature this autumn fruit for Shane's art dinner. I'm also extremely proud and very lucky to be making my ice cream with local saffron (not from Iran or Central Otago) but grown right here in Auckland. The quality and taste are first class."

Serves 4

• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups scooped feijoas
• ½ cup whipped cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cream
• ¼ g saffron
• 80g sugar
• 5 egg yolks

1 Bring sugar and water to the boil in a small saucepan, add feijoas and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool then strain off juice into a saucepan and reduce down to sauce consistency.

2 Puree feijoas in a blender then strain through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Mix puree with whipped cream.

3 For the ice cream - bring milk, cream and saffron to the boil. Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes. Whisk together sugar and yolks, reheat infused saffron mix and pour on to egg mix while whisking. Return to the pan and, over a low heat, stir mix until it begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon.

4 Allow to cool then churn in an ice cream machine or place in the freezer and whisk by hand every 30 minutes until firm and aerated.

5 Serve feijoa cream either piped or scooped with saffron ice cream. Garnish with saffron threads, reduced feijoa sauce and malted praline.

6 For the malted praline - make a caramel with 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water, bring to boil then simmer to light golden caramel colour. Remove from heat and pour over 4 malt biscuits. Once cool, crush into crumbs.