Lotus ice-cream sundae with raspberries and honeycomb

This dish became my signature dessert when I was at Lotus and it had a loyal and devoted following. At the time, everyone in Sydney was trying really hard to do something molecular and Alex Stupak-esque with desserts. While I admired the American chef’s inventive creations, I wanted to do something fun and tasty with real texture, and something my customers could relate to.

Credit: Dan Hong

• serves

  6

• prep

  1:15 hour

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Vanilla ice-cream

• 12 egg yolks
• 250 g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 500 ml (17 fl oz/ 2cups) milk
• 500 ml (17 fl oz/ 2cups) thin (pouring) cream
• 2 vanilla beans, split, seeds scraped out

Chocolate fudge

• 340 g (11¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 
• 70 g (2½ oz) liquid glucose
• 35 g (1¼ oz) cocoa powder
• 325 g (11½ oz) dark chocolate, cut into small pieces
• 75 g (2½ oz) unsalted butter
• 15 g (½ oz) xanthan gum 

 

Honeycomb

• 170 g (5¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 
• 1 tbsp honey
• 65 g (2¼ oz) liquid glucose
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Raspberry sauce

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz/4 cups) frozen raspberries
• 175 g (6 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 

To serve

• vanilla ice-cream (see recipe below), otherwise a good-quality store-bought vanilla bean ice cream
• fresh raspberries
• salted peanuts

If you are making your own ice-cream you will need to begin this recipe one day ahead.

Instructions

To make the vanilla ice-cream, in a bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until they become pale yellow and thick. Put the milk, cream, and vanilla beans and seeds in a medium saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling, remove the pan from the heat and set aside for a minute to cool. Discard the vanilla beans then whisk the hot liquid, a little at a time, into the sugary yolk mixture. 

Strain and leave the custard to cool. Transfer to an ice-cream machine and churn following the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a deep container and store in the freezer.

To make the chocolate fudge, fill a large saucepan with 390 ml (13½ fl oz) water. Add the sugar, glucose, cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon salt and heat over a high heat. Bring to the boil, then add the chocolate and butter. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the chocolate and butter melt. Whisk to combine and then bring back up to the boil. Using a hand-held blender, mix in the xanthan gum, which will thicken the fudge.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then transfer the fudge into a covered container and put in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 2 weeks. 

To make the honeycomb, line a small baking tray with baking paper. To make the caramel, add the sugar, honey, liquid glucose and 1½ tablespoons water to a small saucepan and put over a high heat. Resist the urge to stir, just allow the heat to begin to transform the sugar. If crystals start to appear, you can give the saucepan a little swirl, or use a wet pastry brush to brush down the side of the pan. 

Once a light caramel is achieved (about 155°C/310°F on a sugar thermometer), quickly whisk in the bicarbonate of soda, then immediately pour the mixture onto the prepared tray. Leave to cool at room temperature until it hardens. Break the honeycomb into smaller pieces and store in an airtight container. Do not refrigerate, as the sugars will melt and soften the honeycomb.

To make the raspberry sauce, add the raspberries and sugar to a small saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until a semi-thick consistency is achieved. You don’t want to cook the sauce too long as this will create jam; there should still be a little freshness about it. 

Warm the chocolate fudge in a microwave until hot. Spoon some raspberry sauce into each of six serving bowls. Add 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream and top with some shards of honeycomb, raspberries and peanuts.

Serve the chocolate fudge in a jug on the side so everyone can pour as little (or as much) as they like.

Recipe and image from Mr Hong by Dan Hong (Murdoch Books) $49.99 available now. 

Watch Dan Hong in SBS's brand-new series The Chefs' Line which premieres 6pm, Monday April 3 on SBS.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.