Choc-fruit ice cream with a summer sauce

Method

1. Place the dried apricots, mangoes, pears, raisins and rum in a bowl. Set aside to soak for 2 hours.

2. Pour the milk and cream into a heavy-based saucepan. Add the vanilla pods and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and cool.

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together until well-mixed.

4. Pour in the milk mixture, whisking well. Transfer to a heavy-based pan. Heat gently until the bubbles disappear; strain and cool.

5. Churn the egg yolk mixture in an ice cream mixture until the mixture thickens into ice cream. Drain the dried fruits and add them to the ice cream during the churning stage.

6. Place the ice cream in a container and freeze overnight until solid.

7. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water.

8. Release the ice cream from its container, dipping the container briefly into hot water to help loosen the ice cream.

9. Dip the ice cream in the melted chocolate, and freeze on a piece of grease-proof paper for a further hour.

10. Meanwhile, make the summer sauce. Mix together the quartered strawberries, redcurrants, rum, honey and mint in a bowl.

11. Serve the ice cream in slices with the summer sauce.