Rum caramel ripple ice cream with almond and macadamia brittle

Method

1. To make the ice cream, pour the milk and cream into a pan over a medium heat. Split the vanilla pods in half and scrape out the seeds, then add the seeds and pods to the pan. Heat until almost boiling, then set aside to infuse for at least 10 minutes.
2. In a heatproof bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks with the 450g caster sugar, then strain the cream mix over the top. Discard the vanilla pods (or rinse, dry, then pop into a jar of caster sugar to make vanilla sugar).
3. Return the mixture to a clean pan and cook, stirring, over a medium heat until it thickens. Set aside to cool, then pour into an ice-cream machine and churn until frozen. (Or freeze in a plastic container for 45 minutes, then whisk with a fork to break up the crystals. Repeat every 45 minutes until smooth and frozen.)
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4. Meanwhile, melt the 225g caster sugar with 100ml water in a high-sided pan over a low heat. Once melted, increase the heat, bring to the boil and cook to a dark caramel. Quickly pour in the double cream (this will cause the caramel to splutter so be careful), then whisk in the butter and rum. Cool in the fridge.
5. Scoop half the ice cream into a shallow plastic container, then pour over the cooled caramel. Top with the remaining ice cream and transfer to the freezer for at least 3 hours.
6. Meanwhile make the brittle. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and lightly grease. Melt the 300g caster sugar with 300ml water in a heavy-based pan over a low heat. Once melted, increase the heat, bring to the boil and bubble to a golden caramel. Take it as far as you dare, then quickly stir in the chopped nuts and pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Leave to cool completely.
7. To serve, remove the ice cream from the freezer 15 minutes before you want to eat it, then run an ice cream scoop along the length to get the classic ripple effect.
8. Break the brittle into pieces and serve the ripple ice cream with a few shards of the nutty caramel brittle.