Serves 8

Not many people can say no to peanut butter and the mere mention of it brings back childhood memories. For an elegant presentation, set the parfait in individual moulds, then sandwich them between nut tuiles. Serve with fresh cherry compote and a dusting of icing sugar and transform it into a sophisticated, grown-up dessert. For the parfait 150g caster sugar 100ml water 5 large free-range egg yolks 340g jar of smooth peanut butter 4 tbsp Frangelico 300ml double cream 2 large egg whites 80g caster sugar

For the compote
170g (or half a jar) cherry conserve
2 tbsp boiling water
200g ripe cherries, pitted and halved

1 Place the sugar and water into a heavy-based saucepan and give it a couple of stirs over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. (If there are sugar crystals around the sides, brush around the pan with a clean brush dipped in cold water.) Increase the heat and boil the sugar for 5-7 minutes until it reaches 120C. If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, test by dropping a little syrup into a glass of cold water – it should set into a firm, clear ball. The syrup should begin to colour around the sides of the pan.
2 Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with an electric beater until fluffy. When the syrup is ready, trickle the hot syrup into the egg yolks, whisking vigorously. The syrup will “cook” the eggs and stabilise the foam. When completely incorporated, keep whisking the mixture until the sides of the bowl no longer feel hot. The yolks should have tripled in volume.
3 Beat the peanut butter, Frangelico and half the cream in a large bowl into a smooth paste. Lightly whisk the rest of the cream until softly stiff and fold into the peanut butter mixture, followed by the whisked egg yolks. With clean beaters, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the sugar to make a firm, glossy meringue. Finally, fold this into the combined mixture.
4 Line a 2-litre loaf tin with clingfilm to make it easier to unmould. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin (or spoon into 12-13 individual moulds) and freeze for about 6 hours until firm.
5 Put the cherry conserve and a little boiling water in a pan and stir over medium heat to a smooth sauce. Add the halved cherries and warm through. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
6 When set, tug at the clingfilm to unmould the parfait from the loaf tin. Slice into portions and spoon over the cherry compote to serve. (If you’ve used individual moulds, remove the parfait by dipping the mould into warm water for a few seconds, then turn out on to a plate.)

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