Grilled apricots with rose petal syrup

Make the syrup: bring the sugar and water to the boil in a small pan, remove from the heat and drop in the rose petals. Set aside and leave to cool.

Pour enough water into a medium sized saucepan to come roughly a third of the way up the sides of the pan. Find a heat proof glass or china mixing bowl that will rest comfortably in the pan without touching the water. Place the pan over a moderate heat and bring the water to the boil.

Put the egg yolks and sugar into the mixing bowl, then add the vanilla paste or extract and beat to a creamy paste with a balloon whisk. Mix in the Marsala, then continue whisking until the mixture is thick and has swelled to three times its volume. You can expect this to take a good while, at least 10 minutes. When it is ready, the mixture thick, light and creamy, remove from the heat and leave to cool.

In a cold bowl, whip the cream until thick enough to sit in soft folds – it should barely keep its shape – then fold gently into the cool custard, then leave it to chill in the fridge.

Get an overhead (oven) grill hot. Cut the apricots in half and tease out their stones. Place them, hollow side up, in a single layer on a baking sheet or grill pan. Strain the syrup to remove the rose petals, they have done their work, then spoon it generously over the apricots. Slide the tin under the grill and leave until the fruit is soft and starting to colour here and there.

Roughly chop the pistachios. Spoon some of the custard into three shallow bowls. Lift the fruit from the tin and divide place on the custard. Scatter with pistachios and, if you wish, a few rose petals, dried or fresh.