Drunken cherry parfait

Method

1. Roughly chop the pitted cherries, put them in a bowl with the rum and leave to stand for an hour.
2. Heat half the cream in a pan over a medium heat until almost boiling. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks with half the sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the yolks and sugar with an electric hand mixer until pale and thick and the batter leaves a ribbon-like trail when the beaters are lifted from the mixture. Pour the hot cream into the bowl and whisk together to combine.
3. Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside until completely cool (see tip). Drain the cherries (reserving the rum syrup), then add to the cooled custard with the macadamia nuts.
4. Line a 500g loaf tin with cling film so it overhangs the edges. In separate clean mixing bowls, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then whisk the remaining cream until just holding its shape. Using a metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites, followed by the cream, into the cooled custard until evenly mixed.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, then freeze for 2 hours. Remove it, give it a stir, scooping the cherries from the bottom into the mix and taking care not to tear the cling film, then freeze overnight.
6. Before serving, put the remaining caster sugar in a small pan with the cherry-infused rum and set over a low heat. Once the sugar has melted, increase the heat and boil to form a thick syrup – be careful not to let it become too thick and caramelise. Leave to cool.
7. Take the parfait out of the freezer 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve. Invert it onto a board, peel off the cling film and cut into slices. Serve with the cherry rum syrup and a few extra cherries on the side.

Note: contains raw egg