Day: September 12, 2012

Perfectly Delectable Italian Inspired Ice Cream :)!!!

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Well hello again everybody, i was sitting in a biology test today writing down my answers and when i had completed the assessment i began to think about ice cream. That glorious Italian dessert that melts on the tongue and oozes down ones throat with complete satisfaction and 100% no guilt. Anyway i came across this little outstanding Italian deli in Edinburgh a few weeks ago and so i popped inside to find this other world full of fresh cheeses and meats all arranged on fancy plates and to my surprise trays and trays of freshly made ice cream:)!!. I couldn’t resist a taste and i was telling the owner that i’ve been cooking for years and that i’m writing a blog on cooking blah blah.. and he replied gratefully with come round the kitchens and you can see how its made. I was so excited at this opportunity. So i entered the kitchen eagerly and watched how the perfectly soft ice cream was constructed. Then i was given a little recipe booklet filled with all the recipes and techniques i needed to create the ice cream at home so here i have extracted a few little recipes a varied the ingredients from the master recipe!!

Master recipe = Vanilla!

  • 284ml carton double cream
  • 300ml full fat milk
  • 115g golden caster sugar
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 3 large free-range egg yolks
  • lots of ice at the ready!

Method :

Pour the cream and milk into a medium heavy-based pan, then tip in half the sugar. Slit the vanilla pod down its length with a small sharp knife and scoop out as many of the tiny black seeds as you can into the cream mixture. Cut the pod into three and drop it into the pan.

Heat the cream and milk over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until it almost boils – you’ll see a few bubbles at the edge. Take off the heat and set aside for 30 minutes so the vanilla can infuse.

Put the egg yolks into a bowl with the rest of the sugar and beat well for about 2 minutes until the mixture has thickened, is paler in colour and falls in thick ribbons when you lift the whisk. Using a measuring jug, scoop out about 125ml of the cream mixture and beat into the egg yolks to loosen  them. Reheat the cream until it just comes to the boil, take off the heat and stir in the egg yolk mixture.

Return the pan to a low heat and cook, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon, for 8-10 minutes, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Watch it doesn’t boil, it should be thick enough, so take the pan off the heat so the mixture doesn’t curdle.

Pour the custard into a bowl, then sit it in a bigger bowl one third full of iced water to cool (about 20 minutes). Stir occasionally to stop a skin forming. Put the bowl of custard in the fridge for 3-4 hours, preferably overnight, so it gets really cold. Pour into a tub suitable for freezing and stir every hour for 4 hours till frozen. Enjoy!

My favourite variations :

chopped basil added

chopped mint added

orange or lemon peel

mixed crushed nuts literally anything…….