Best-ever easy Vanilla Ice Cream

Properly made, with real ingredients (no trans-fats and strange sugars here!) vanilla ice cream is one of the nicest pudding accompaniments.   It's also delicious on its own with a hot sauce - chocolate or butterscotch are nicest.    Good vanilla ice cream should have specks of vanilla, be thick and smooth, and, if you use free range eggs, a lovely warm yellow colour.  This recipe is made in an ice cream maker, as it stops crystals from forming while the mixture is freezing, a problem with cream-based ice-creams.   I use a mixture of cream and milk - the higher the cream quantity, the richer the ice cream.   Please note that the eggs are not cooked in this recipe.    The picture below shows that I cannot make professional quenelles, those beautiful scoops of ice cream, but it tastes just as good!   Home made ice cream doesn't keep its softness once re-frozen, which is just an excuse to finish it off straight away.

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

2 egg yolks

1 vanilla pod, or 1tsp good quality vanilla extract

3oz/80g caster sugar

15floz/400ml mixed milk and cream – normally 2/3 cream to 1/3 milk

Separate the egg yolks into a bowl/food processor (putting the whites into a jar to make meringues later), then open the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds onto the yolks.  Add the caster sugar and beat the mixture together.  Slowly add the cream/milk mixture, and whisk until it is well combined.

Pour into an ice cream maker and churn until it is thick – probably about 35-50 minutes, depending on the warmth of the day.   This quantity usually makes about 1 pint, enough for 4 or 5.   

If you like this recipe, why not let me know how you got on with it?  I'm also on Facebook "Kate's Puddings" and Twitter @katespuddings.  My cookbook is on sale via my website www.katespuddings.co.uk.  This recipe is featured in my cookbook, together with 75 others, many of which will not be appearing on the blog!