- 55g/2oz muscovado sugar
- 110g/4oz butter
- 110ml/4fl oz honey
- 140g/5oz pecans (65g/2½oz finely chopped, remainder left whole)
- 1 egg, beaten
- a pinch of ground cinnamon
- 4 small deep sweet pastry tartlet cases, baked blind
- pecan halves, to decorate
- maple syrup, to decorate
- 225g/8oz caster sugar
- 4 eggs, yolk only
- 170ml/6oz semi-skimmed milk
- 170ml/6oz full-fat milk
- 340ml/12fl oz double cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 heaped tbsp chopped stem ginger
- 6-8 cardamom seeds, finely ground
- First make the ice cream. In a mixing bowl, combine the caster sugar and egg yolks together. Beat the mixture until it is a thick yellow paste and set it aside.
- Bring the semi-skimmed and the whole milk to a simmer in a heavy-based, medium-sized saucepan. Slowly beat the hot semi skimmed and whole milk mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. This mixture should be hot, but not boiling.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and simmer very gently, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until it thickens to a custard-like consistency. Strain the mixture into a large bowl, cool and chill overnight in a refrigerator.
- The next day, stir in the double cream, vanilla, ginger and ground cardamom. Churn in an ice cream maker, following manufacturer's instructions, until frozen. Cover and freeze until required.
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
- Make the pecan pies. In a saucepan, melt together the muscovado sugar and butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey, finely chopped pecans, beaten egg and cinnamon. Mix together thoroughly.
- Pour the pecan mixture into the tartlet cases and top with the whole pecans.
- Bake the pecan tarts for 20 minutes.
- Serve the tarts warm from the oven topped with a scoop of the cardamom ginger ice cream. Decorate the serving plates with pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup.