French Vanilla Ice Cream

You know that good, old-fashioned ice cream that’s so rich it’s basically butter? Well. Check this out, dude.

This frozen custard is densely creamy, with enough vanilla to keep things fresh. This isn’t like the ridiculous fluff you buy from the supermarket – I once heard that a tub was 50% air! None of that for me.

Full of fat from the cream, as well as a few minerals from the egg yolks, this ice cream is nothing like the sugar-laced stuff you may be used to. My favourite part was licking it out of the ice cream maker! Chef’s treat, you know.

I was surprised at how quickly this froze. Some ice creams I’ve made in the past have taken almost 15 minutes to churn. This version? Maybe 5 minutes!

This recipe can be gluten-free and nut-free.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes (plus chilling)

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

– 2 large egg yolks

– 1 Tablespoon cornflour

– 4 Tablespoons dextrose, or to taste

– good grinding vanilla bean (optional)

– 2/3 cup milk

– 350 ml cream

– 1-2 teaspoons vanilla essence, to  taste

Method:

1. Whisk the egg yolks, cornflour, dextrose, and ground vanilla in a saucepan to form a smooth paste. Whisk in the milk and a third of the cream.

2. Cook over a medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thick. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla essence. Transfer to a bowl, press clingfilm to its surface, and refrigerate.

3. After the custard has completely chilled, whip the remaining cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the custard. Assemble your ice cream maker.

4. Churn the ice cream base in your ice cream maker, until the consistency of soft serve. You can eat as is, or freeze in a container for a firmer texture. Enjoy! 🙂