Alpha’s lemon ice-cream with strawberries, rose and shortbread

1.For pistachio glyko, blanch pistachios (1-2 minutes), drain, refresh, remove skins and set aside. Place sugar, lemon juice and 125ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to low-medium, add pistachios, lemon rind and cardamom and simmer until slightly thickened and darkened (30 minutes). Set aside to cool, then refrigerate overnight to confit. Drain syrup into a saucepan (reserve pistachios) and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low-medium, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add pistachios and simmer until syrupy (25-30 minutes). Pour into sterilised jars, set aside to cool and refrigerate until required. Makes 2 cups; will keep refrigerated for a month.

2.Meanwhile, place cream, lemon juice and rind, milk powder and vanilla seeds in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale, add cream mixture, whisk briefly, then return to pan. Reduce heat to low and stir continuously until custard thickly coats a spoon (6-8 minutes). Transfer to a bowl over ice and stir occasionally until chilled (30 minutes). Churn in an ice-cream machine, then freeze until required.

3.For almond shortbread, preheat oven to 180C. Roast almonds on an oven tray (7-8 minutes) and set aside. Reduce oven to 160C. Sift flour, baking powder and ½ tsp salt into a bowl and set aside. Beat butter and 125gm icing sugar in an electric mixer until very light and creamy. Add eggwhite, beat for a further 2 minutes, then add ouzo and rosewater. Stir in flour mixture and almonds, spoon onto a large sheet of baking paper, pat out into a disc, cover and refrigerate to chill (20 minutes). Roll out dough to 2cm thick between 2 sheets of baking paper, then cut with a 5cm-diameter round pastry cutter to form crescents. Bake on baking sheets, in batches, until pale golden (15-20 minutes). Lightly drizzle with rosewater, dust generously with remaining icing sugar and set aside. Makes about 20. Shortbread will keep in an airtight container for a week; you may need to re-dust with icing sugar before serving.

4.For macerated strawberries, place strawberries in a bowl and set aside. Combine sugar, lemon juice and rosewater in a small bowl, pour over strawberries and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5.On each serving plate place a spoonful of macerated strawberries, a spoonful of pistachio glyko, a scoop of lemon ice-cream and a piece of almond shortbread and serve.