Vanilla Ice Cream

[dellwak]

Summer is round the corner and it’s ice cream time. Try making your own.

I know there are ice cream machines out there that are much easier to use but, believe me, none of them can match this.

For 6 normal servings or 3 piggin servings.

300 ml / ½ pint single cream
3 egg yolks
100g / 4 oz vanilla sugar
Pinch of salt
300 ml / ½ pint double cream

Heat the single cream in a pan to just below boiling point.
Using a WOODEN SPOON, lightly beat the egg yolks, vanilla sugar and salt in a bowl.
Slowly pour in the hot cream and blend well.
Set the bowl of custard over a pan of simmering water and stir until it thickens, about 10 minutes.
Set aside to cool, stir occasionally to prevent a skin forming.

Pour the cooled mixture into a freezer container and freeze uncovered until slushy and icy at the edges.
Pour and scrape into a chilled bowl and whisk until smooth.
Whip the double cream until soft peaks form and fold it into the mixture.
Pour back into the freezer container and freeze without stirring until firm.

Theoretically you are now supposed to put a lid on the freezer container until required.
In practice I have never managed to get a lid onto it before it was all scoffed.

Enjoy

[miranda]

mmmm sounds yummy gonna try it...... but excuse my ignorance...vanilla sugar??? can you buy this from the likes of tesco?

[dellwak]

Some supermarkets will have vanilla sugar Miranda, but it is probably just sugar with vanilla flavouring added.
Making your own is better. Just put some suger into an airtight container (Tupperware or similar) and add a vanilla pod that you have cut along its length.
After a week or so the sugar will have taken on the flavour of the vanilla.
You can use this vanilla sugar to flavour cakes, biscuits, puddings or anything you fancy. Just keep on refilling with sugar and replace the vanilla pod occasionally.

[Uli]

Hi
my mother in law has vanilla sugar which is the seeds of a vanilla pod in some caster sugar (leave the vanilla pod itself in for a while too to increase the flavour)

In Sweden vanilla sugar is a staple item on baking shelfs and there it is made the same way but with icing sugar rather than caster sugar.

Personally I prefer the icing sugar base but its just because that is what I grew up with.