Marcus Wareing's pumpkin seed parfait with maple granola

Serves 8 (Start 1 day before serving) Desserts and puddings

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Method

The day before, make the nougatine. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C F/Gas 4. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on a baking tray and toast them in the oven for 8–10 minutes to warm through and release the oil, occasionally agitating so they toast evenly – the colour won’t change much. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Put a medium saucepan over a medium heat, cover the base of the pan with the sugar and cook for about 8 minutes, swirling it gently in the pan if necessary to encourage it to melt evenly, but not stirring, until it is amber in colour. Remove from the heat and stir through the toasted pumpkin seeds. Transfer the nougatine to a sheet of baking parchment and spread it out to cool. Once it’s completely cool, blitz it in a food processor to a coarse crumb, then set aside.

To make the parfait mix, begin by making a meringue. Put a small saucepan on a set of scales, then add the sugar and liquid glucose. Add 2tbsp water and place the pan over a medium heat. Cook the sugar until it reaches 121C on a sugar thermometer.

As soon as you place the pan of sugar for the parfait on the heat, simultaneously start to whisk the egg whites in the clean, grease-free bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

Once the egg whites have soft peaks, gradually add the syrup that has reached 121C, slowly dribbling it directly on to the egg whites while whisking. Continue to mix the meringue for 10–15 minutes until it is cool to touch. Once the meringue is completely cool, fold in the lightly whipped cream until smooth, using a large metal spoon to avoid losing the air from the meringue. Add the chopped pumpkin seed nougatine and fold it through to evenly distribute the seeds.

Line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. Transfer the parfait mix to the tin and level it out as much as you can. Transfer to a freezer for 12 hours to set (overnight is best). It should be set like ice cream.

The next day, prepare the granola. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C F/Gas 3 and line a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or baking parchment. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and mix until the seeds and oats are coated in the syrup and oil. Spread the mixture out on the lined baking tray and bake for 15–20 minutes until golden, stirring the granola on the tray every 5 minutes to ensure it bakes evenly. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

To assemble the dish, remove the parfait from the freezer, take it out of its tin and peel away the baking parchment. Use a warmed serrated knife to cut the parfait into slices, then drizzle over a little maple syrup and sprinkle over the granola.

This recipe was taken from the Christmas 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.