Classic vanilla ice cream

Vanilla ice cream

I’m quite excited to be taking this step into the world of ice cream.

I’m a huge ice cream fan and generally have a tub in the freezer for emergencies – although often it doesn’t last very long.

I’ve made homemade ice cream in the past but just followed a recipe without really understanding what was going on. And that’s where Project Pastry comes in.

First things first, ice cream is a churned frozen dessert which is a term also used to describe gelato, sorbet and frozen yoghurt .

They are constantly agitated during the freezing process, so break up the ice crystals as they form which results in a smoother texture.

Still-frozen desserts are prepared and then left undisturbed in the freezer until they reach a solid state. They include dishes like frozen mousses, frozen parfait, frozen soufflé, semifreddo and bombe.

Making ice cream can create a bit of a problem for some people for one of two reasons:

• Access to equipment to help the churning process
• Mastering the perfect crème Anglaise (the base of most ice creams)

I don’t have an ice cream machine as such – just an extra freezer bowl fitting for my stand up mixer which I’m afraid doesn’t do the job properly. It certainly churns the mix well, but I’m not convinced the ice cream was setting particularly well. I think this is something I’m going to need to rectify soon!

The second challenge, the crème Anglaise, has been something I’ve been working on for a long time and you can see my previous post for tips and tricks.

So to start myself off, I wanted to create a classic vanilla ice cream using a crème Anglaise custard base with just some double cream added at the end of extra richness.

I was interested to see how many options there are for flavouring during the stage where you heat the milk and infuse the vanilla. I could already see opportunities of using other enhancers such as cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, lemongrass, cloves or ginger.

There would also be the option of adding tea during this stage to create green tea, chai or early grey ice cream.

I’ll delve into fruit ice cream next week but already getting excited because tropical fruits are coming into season and I’m already daydreaming about mango, pineapple or passionfruit delights.

Classic vanilla ice cream

1 quantity crème Anglaise
100 ml double cream

Make the crème Anglaise as per the instructions, then immediately place the mixture onto a bowl of iced water to speed up the cooling process.

Once cooled, pour in the double cream and remove the vanilla pod.

Churn in ice cream maker for approximately 20 mins, then transfer to a freezer-proof container and place in freezer until you’re ready to serve.