Haupia-Macadamia Ice Cream

Roast the macadamia nuts in a dry pan over moderate heat, stirring, until they are golden and fragrant. Tip onto a tray lined with baking paper. Dissolve the praline sugar in the water over low heat without stirring, then raise the heat and cook to a deep amber caramel. Pour immediately over the nuts and leave undisturbed until fully set and hard. Break into shards, then pulse briefly to a coarse rubble. The praline is ready when it snaps cleanly with no flex.

Warm the coconut cream and milk together in a heavy saucepan until steaming but not boiling. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale. Pour the hot coconut cream mixture onto the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly, then return the combined custard to the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring without pause, until the custard coats the back of a spoon and a drawn finger leaves a clean line. This is where the dish lives or dies: under-cooked custard will not set; overheated custard will scramble. Remove from heat at once.

Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl set over ice. Stir until cooled to room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly cold. The base should smell of fresh coconut with a clean dairy note and no cooked-egg character.

Churn the cold base in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions until the mixture holds its shape and has the texture of thick, aerated soft-serve. The colour should be white to pale cream throughout.

Transfer the churned ice cream to a chilled container, folding the macadamia praline rubble through in two or three turns so that distinct crunchy pieces remain distributed but not pulverised. Press a sheet of baking paper to the surface, cover, and freeze until firm. The finished ice cream should be rich and creamy in body with intact crunchy praline shards audible on the first bite.