Ingredients

Vanilla Ice-cream:

• 500ml milk
• 6 egg yolk
• 250g caster sugar
• 2 vanilla pods
• 500ml double cream

Macadamia Praline

• 50ml water
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g unsalted macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• corn or vegetable oil

Method

1. Praline: Lightly oil a baking tray or marble slab. Place the sugar in a saucepan with the water and place it over a moderate heat. Stir the sugar until it has dissolved brushing down the sides with a wet pastry brush. Then leave the mixture to cook without stirring until the syrup begins to become golden. Remove it from the heat and stir in the macadamias. Pour the mixture onto the oiled surface and spread it out with a metal spoon. Leave the praline to cool and set. Crack the praline into pieces and chop it up into small pieces leaving obvious bits of nut. Set it aside until ready to use.
2. Custard: Place the milk in a sauce pan. Cut through the centre of the vanilla pods and spoon the seeds into the milk and place the pods in the milk. Place the milk over a low heat and slowly bring it to a strong simmer then remove it from the heat. Remove the pods from the milk.
3. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until pale yellow and creamy. While whisking gradually add all the hot milk.
4. Return the mixture to a saucepan and place it over a low heat, cook gently while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Be careful not to overheat the milk as you will end up with scrambled eggs. Remove it from the heat and leave it to cool.
5. Ice-cream: When the custard has cooled completely whisk in the cream and stir in the praline until well combined. Place the mixture in an ice-machine and churn it until thickened, then place in a freezer proof container and freeze until ready to serve. If you don't have an ice-cream machine place it in a freezer proof sealed container and place it in the freezer for 1 hour then remove it and stir, then return to the freezer and take it out and stir it every 30 minutes for a further 2 hours. Freeze until ready to serve.