Ice-cream beignet sandwiches with chocolate sauce

1.For beignet dough, combine sugar and 110ml lukewarm water in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, sprinkle yeast over and stand until foamy (5-10 minutes). Add flour, cream, egg, vanilla seeds and a pinch salt, and mix in an electric mixer until a wet sticky dough forms that which comes away from the sides of the bowl (2-3 minutes). Stand until dough starts to prove and increase in volume (20 minutes), then refrigerate until doubled in size (2-3 hours; you can also prove the dough overnight in the refrigerator for a deeper, yeasty flavour – you don’t need to start the proving at room temperature to do this).

2.Meanwhile, for chocolate sauce, bring sugar and 200ml water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then add dark chocolate and stir until melted (1 minute). Add butter, remove from heat, stand for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth and cooled to room temperature. You can do this ahead and refrigerate the sauce; it will thicken, so you’ll need to warm it to serve.

3.Knock back beignet dough and roll out on a lightly floured bench to 5mm thick. Lift dough to loosen and prevent it springing back when cut, and roll again lightly to smooth. Cut into 6cm rounds with a floured cutter, and set aside on a tray lined with baking paper for 10 minutes to rest.

4.Meanwhile, heat oil in a deep saucepan or deep-fryer to 180C. Add beignet rounds in batches and deep-fry, turning occasionally, until golden and puffed (3-5 minutes; be careful, hot oil will spit). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

5.To serve, sandwich scoops of ice-cream in beignets, dust with icing sugar, drizzle with chocolate sauce and eat immediately.