ROASTED CARAMEL PEANUTS

1. Preheat oven to 165°C. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat and boil just until all the sugar has dissolved. Add in the peanuts and gently mix together.
2. Drain off any excess syrup and place the peanuts onto a lined tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside at room temperature to cool. Once cool, roughly chop.

CHOCOLATE PARFAIT

1. Create cones from baking paper triangles. Cut eight individual triangles for each parfait (approximately 320 mm x 230 mm x 240 mm) and roll into a cone shape, ensuring the tip is closed. Fold the ends of the paper into the cone to secure it.
2. Pour the caster sugar (A) into a bowl big enough to stand up the eight cones and that will fit in your freezer. Ensure the eight cones are pressed into the sugar and secure them.
3. Semi-whip the cream in a stand mixer until it has some body but still collapses. Set aside in the fridge.
4. Place the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a clean mixing bowl on a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (do not start mixing yet).
5. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar (B) and water.
6. When the sugar syrup starts boiling, start whisking the egg whites and cream of tartar on a slow speed until the reach a medium peak.
7. When the sugar syrup reaches 117°C*, pour it directly into the egg whites while still whisking, ensuring the boiled syrup doesn’t hit the whisk. This will create an Italian meringue. Continue whisking the Italian meringue until it cools slightly and then remove from the mixer and set aside.
8. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar (C) together on a stand mixer until light and aerated. Chop the milk chocolate and melt it in a microwave or over a Bain-Marie (a bowl sitting on a simmering saucepan), stirring frequently. Ensure that it is warm to touch. Fold the melted chocolate into the meringue by hand using a flexible spatula, then fold through the egg yolk mixture, chopped peanuts and lastly the semi-whipped cream.
9. Place the parfait mixture into a piping bag with a plain round nozzle, or using a spoon, fill the prepared paper cones. Immediately place the cones into the freezer for 3-4 hours to set.

SPUN SUGAR

1. Prepare a bowl of ice water. In a clean saucepan boil the water and sugar, continue to boil on high heat until the mixture reaches 165°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, focus on the colour of the bubbles on the surface of the caramel and as soon as the bubbles take on a light golden colour remove the saucepan from the heat. If the caramel starts going too dark after you have removed it from the heat submerge the base of the saucepan into the ice water. Let the caramel sit at room temperature until the bubbles completely dissipate.
2. Spray the handles of two wooden spoon, or something similar in shape, with vegetable oil and rub it into the surface.
3. Cover the floor with old newspapers or do this step outside. Place the two wooden handles so that they are sticking out from the bench approximately 300 mm apart and hanging over the paper. Place four forks into the prepared caramelised sugar and use a flicking motion to create thin strands.
4. Continue to flick until you have enough sugar to bunch together to make a sugar ribbon. You can fold it in half if necessary.
5. Unmould each parfait one at a time and leave the rest in the freezer. The parfait can be placed directly on a plate for serving. Wrap the sugar ribbon around the cone in a spiral fashion and cut off any additional ribbon with oiled scissors. Repeat the process until each parfait has a spun sugar ribbon. You can freeze them with the sugar on and ensure that the ribbon will stay intact. You can reheat the caramelized sugar on a low heat as needed until it becomes liquid again.

SERVING

1. Place a parfait with the spun sugar ribbon in the centre of each plate, trim the base if needed to ensure it sits flat.

*You can test for this with a thermometer, or, if you don’t have a thermometer, take a small amount of the sugar syrup after the syrup is rapidly boiling and drop it into a bowl of cold water. If it has reached 117°C, the sugar will create a pliable ball when you pick it up.