Preparation

Ice Cream

1. Ensure the freezer bowl is completely frozen.
2. Finely grind the pistachios with 60g of the sugar in a food processor.
3. Bring the milk to the boil in a heavy based saucepan with the ground pistachio mixture, stirring occasionally. Once the milk has come to the boil remove from the heat.
4. Whisk the remaining 115g sugar with the egg yolks together in a bowl.
5. Gradually whisk the heated milk into the egg yolks.
6. Pour back into the pan and cook on a low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the spatula. Do not boil.
7. Strain the mixture through a sieve.
8. Add the cream, stir well and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight until completely cold.
9. When you are ready to churn the ice cream, place the ice cream bowl and the paddle into the ice cream maker.
10.  Whisk the mixture again before pouring into the ice cream maker.
11.  Churn for approximately 30 minutes, until the ice cream is firm.
12.  Place into an air tight container and leave to set in the freezer for at least an hour.

Shortbread

1. Put the diced butter, rice flour, plain flour and icing sugar into the food processor and process until the mixture becomes a paste.
2. Turn out the dough and roll into a log shape of the diameter you want the shortbreads to be. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave in the fridge for at least an hour.
3. Place the pistachios in the food processor and process briefly until ground. Place the ground pistachios on a flat tray.
4. Remove the shortbread log from the fridge and brush the log with the beaten egg and then evenly roll in the pistachios.
5. Wrap the dough back up and chill for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 150ºC/Gas mark 2.
7. Remove the cling film from the dough and cut the log into slices of about 1cm.
8. Lay biscuits on a baking tray lined with parchment paper at least 2cm apart.
9. Dust them with the vanilla sugar.
10.  Bake for between 13-15 minutes depending on the size. They should be a golden colour, not too brown.

To Serve

1. Place 2 scoops of pistachio ice cream into a bowl and scatter with some chopped pistachio pieces.
2. Serve with several pieces of shortbread.