Honeycomb ice-cream balls

1.For honeycomb, combine sugar, honey and 30ml water in a saucepan, stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook until light caramel (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat, quickly stir in bicarbonate of soda, then immediately pour onto a lightly oiled tray and stand until set (30-40 minutes). Break into coarse pieces and store in an airtight container until required. Honeycomb will keep for 5 days.

2.Bring cream, milk, vanilla bean and seeds just to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until thick and very pale (4-5 minutes). Pour cream mixture over eggs, whisk to combine, then return to pan and stir continuously over medium heat until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon thickly (5-6 minutes). Strain into a bowl placed over ice, then refrigerate until well chilled (2-3 hours). Freeze in an ice-cream machine. Finely crush half the honeycomb, stir through ice-cream and freeze until firm. Makes about 1.5 litres.

3.Scoop ice-cream into small balls with a melon-baller and place on a tray lined with baking paper in the freezer (keep tray in freezer while scooping). Freeze until firm, then push a cocktail stick or toothpick into each ball and freeze again until firm.

4.Melt chocolates separately in heatproof bowls over a saucepan of simmering water, then dip ice-cream balls into chocolate, shaking off excess and returning to freezer immediately. Freeze until required and serve with extra honeycomb.