Hong Kong French toast with smoked cinnamon ice-cream and spiced cherry sauce

For smoked cinnamon ice-cream, use tongs to hold cinnamon sticks over a direct flame until smoking. Place cinnamon sticks, cream, milk and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Whisk egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl until thick and pale. Gradually pour in hot cream mixture, whisking continuously. Return mixture to a clean saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (5 minutes). Strain custard into a heatproof bowl; discard cinnamon sticks. Cover custard with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled (4 hours). Churn custard in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions (15-20 minutes). Store in freezer until ready to serve.

For candied peanuts, combine peanuts and maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until peanuts are golden (8-10 minutes). Spread over tray lined with baking paper to cool.

For cherry sauce, combine sugar, cornflour, lemon juice and ¼ cup (60ml) water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until dissolved. Add cherries and spices; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickened slightly (12-15 minutes). Remove from heat; keep warm.

Spread 4 slices of bread with peanut butter, leaving two slices plain. To make two three-layer sandwiches, place one buttered slice on top of another buttered slice, top with a plain slice and lightly press down. Repeat with remaining slices. Slice off crusts with a serrated knife. In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs and allspice until combined. Dip each sandwich in egg mixture, then drain to remove excess.

Melt half the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Carefully, add one sandwich and cook, turning once, until golden (30 seconds each side). Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining sandwich. Serve warm with cherry sauce, cinnamon ice-cream and candied peanuts.