Heather honey parfait with gooseberries, elderflowers and raspberries

Ingredients

For the parfait
4 free-range egg yolks, beaten
90g/3oz heather honey
300ml/½ pint whipping cream
For the gooseberries
300g/10½oz fresh gooseberries
4 tbsp elderflower syrup
100g/3½oz caster sugar
1 small bunch fresh elderflower heads, tied up in a square of muslin
2 vanilla pods
For the raspberry purée
300g/10½oz fresh raspberries
splash water
100g/3½oz caster sugar
For the mascarpone cream
2 free-range eggs, separated
2 tsp caster sugar
250g/9oz mascarpone
drop vanilla extract
For the caramel croquant
200ml/7fl oz liquid glucose (available from the baking department of some supermarkets)
200g/7oz sugar
50ml/2fl oz water
100g/3½oz pine nuts
To serve
200g/7oz raspberries

Method

1. For the parfait, place the egg yolks into a bowl. Place the honey into a small pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Slowly add the hot honey to the egg yolks and whisk until light and creamy.
2. In a separate bowl whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Fold the honey mixture into the cream. Line a terrine with three layers of cling film. Pour in the parfait mixture and freeze overnight.
3. For the gooseberries, place the gooseberries into a pan over a medium heat. Add the elderflower syrup, sugar, the elderflower heads and the vanilla pods and stew for ten minutes or until softened. Remove the gooseberries from the heat and leave the liquid to infuse for ten minutes, then chill. Remove the elderflower heads.
4. For the raspberry purée, place the raspberries, water and sugar into a pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently until the raspberries have softened. Pour into a sieve over a bowl and force the mixture through to leave the raspberry seeds behind.
5. For the mascarpone cream, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a clean bowl, until pale and creamy. Add the mascarpone and mix well.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone, egg and sugar mixture, then stir in the vanilla extract.
5. To make the caramel croquant, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Place the glucose, sugar and water into a saucepan, slowly bring to the boil and simmer until golden-brown. Pour onto a sheet of greaseproof paper. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and leave to chill. Break the croquant into pieces and place into a mini blender and blend until it forms a powder. Sprinkle the powder over another sheet of greaseproof paper and place in the oven for ten minutes or until set. Remove from the oven, leave to cool and then break up into shards of croquant.
6. To serve, mix the raspberries with the raspberry purée and place in the base of four Martini glasses. Spoon one tablespoon of mascarpone cream on top. Top with one spoonful of gooseberries and layer up with the rest of the mascarpone, raspberry purée and gooseberries. Top with a scoop of the parfait and garnish with the croquant shards.