Ingredients

• 150g/5½oz salted butter
• 100g/3½oz sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1kg/2lb 4oz plums
• halved and stones removed
• 1 lemon
• juice only
• 300ml/10fl oz double cream
• 300ml/10fl oz milk
• 6 free-range egg yolks
• 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
• 175g/6oz butter
• 85g/3oz caster sugar
• 225g/8oz plain flour
• 2 tbsp dried pink peppercorns
• crushed
• plus extra for serving
• demerara sugar
• for sprinkling

Directions

• For the plum fool
• melt the salted butter in a pan. Add the sugar and cinnamon sticks. Add the plums and lemon juice.
• Cook on a low heat until the plums have softened to form a purée. Remove the cinnamon sticks and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth
• then pass through a fine sieve into a bowl and cover with cling film. Set aside until needed.
• For the custard
• bring the double cream and milk to the boil in a pan. In a bowl
• whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together. Pour the hot cream and milk onto the eggs and whisk. Return to the pan and place on a low heat. Gently cook the custard
• stirring all the time
• until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
• or reaches 82C/180F on a cooking thermometer.
• Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl (to cool the custard quickly place a few freezer blocks in the bowl). Cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin forming and leave to chill in the fridge
• To make the shortbread
• preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
• Place the butter
• sugar and flour together in a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together.
• Add the pink peppercorns and pulse once more. Remove the mixture from the processor and wrap in cling film. Leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.
• On a lightly floured work surface
• roll the shortbread dough out to 1cm/½in thick. Cut into the shapes of your choice and place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.
• Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until just cooked and dried out. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Set aside to cool.
• To serve
• mix together 400g/14oz of plum purée with the custard mixture. Pass through a fine sieve and pour into an espuma gun or cream whipper. Charge with two chargers and give it a good shake. Leave to settle for 10-15 minutes.
• Spoon a little leftover purée into serving bowls. Squirt the fool mix on top
• sprinkle with pink peppercorns and serve with the shortbread - or let your guests serve themselves from the cream whipper for a fun party trick.