Popcorn ice cream with chocolate cracking sauce

Method

1. Heat the 1 tsp oil in a saucepan (with a lid) over a medium-high heat. Add one piece of corn and cover with the lid then, once it pops, add the rest. Cook, covered, for about 4 minutes, shaking the pan regularly until it looks like most of the corn has popped, then remove from the heat, slide the lid open a touch so a little air can get into the pan and leave  for 5 minutes to allow the rest of the corn to pop, giving it a shake every now and then to help.
2. Put the milk, cream and a pinch of fine salt in a medium saucepan. Heat gently, stirring often. Once the mixture is steaming hot, remove the pan from the heat. In a separate bowl, use a balloon whisk to mix the egg yolks and sugar for 1 minute until thoroughly combined.
3. Half-fill the sink with cold water. Gradually whisk the hot cream into the yolk mixture, whisking continuously to form a custard. Return the custard to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring all the time, until it reaches 82°C on a probe or sugar thermometer (or is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon). Don’t let it boil. As soon as the custard reaches the right temperature or thickens enough, lower the base of the pan into the sink of water to cool.
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4. Stir in the butter and cooked popcorn and leave to cool, stirring the mixture every so often. Once the custard is at room temperature, pour into a clean container, cover the surface with baking paper and chill in the fridge overnight.
5. The next day, push the custard through a sieve to strain out the popcorn. Pour the custard into an ice cream machine and churn for 25-45 minutes (depending on your machine) until it reaches the texture of very thick whipped cream. Transfer to a lidded container, cover and freeze for at least 6 hours until ready to serve. It will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
6. When you’re ready to serve, remove the ice cream from the freezer for 5-10 minutes to soften a little while you make the chocolate sauce. Melt the chocolate, oil and syrup together in a bowl by heating in the microwave for 10 second pulses or over a pan of simmering water, stirring regularly. Once melted and combined, leave to cool for 5 minutes. Scoop the ice cream into bowls or cones, then drizzle with the chocolate sauce, adding some popcorn and sprinkles too, if you like. The sauce will harden as it hits the cold ice cream and cools, giving a pleasing crack as you bite or spoon into it.