Real vanilla ice cream

Real vanilla ice cream

Make super-creamy vanilla ice cream and eat it as it is, or add different flavours to suit all tastes

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Makes 1 litre

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 20 mins

Plus chilling and churning
Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Method

  1. Put the milk and cream in a saucepan. 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 milk mixture. Add the pod to the pan, too. Heat the whole lot 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 mins so that the vanilla can infuse.
  2. Mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Gradually pour the milk over the egg mixture, whisking continuously until combined. Pour everything back into the cleaned pan, return to a low heat and cook for 8-10 mins, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Make sure it doesn't boil or you will end up with scrambled eggs.
  3. Pour the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl, then sit it in a bigger bowl, one-third full of ice and water, to cool it down - keep stirring every now and then to stop a skin forming. Chill to make sure it is completely cold, putting cling film directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming.
  4. Pour the custard into an ice-cream machine. Churn following manufacturers' instructions until frozen, then spoon into a metal or plastic freezer-proof container. Cover and freeze until solid. If you don't have an ice-cream machine, pour the custard into the container and freeze. Every 2-3 hrs, take the mixture out of the freezer and give it a stir. Once it is softly set, beat it well with electric beaters, then freeze solid. It will keep in the freezer for 3 months. Remove from the freezer 15 mins before serving to allow it to get soft enough to scoop.
Try

Rich chocolate ice cream

Melt 200g good-quality plain chocolate and cool a little. Make the ice cream following the vanilla method, adding 1 tbsp cocoa powder and the melted chocolate to the egg and sugar mixture before you pour the hot milk on. Churn and freeze as per the main recipe.

Salted peanut praline

Make the vanilla ice cream and freeze until very thick and only just spoonable. Meanwhile, melt 150g golden caster sugar in a frying pan over a medium heat until you have a golden caramel - tip the pan to keep the caramelisation even. As soon as it is ready, add 60g chopped salted peanuts and pour the lot onto a baking sheet set on a wooden board. Allow to cool completely, then smash into pieces. Stir through the ice cream and freeze until solid.

Berry ripple ice cream

Make the ice cream and freeze until thick but spoonable. Put 400g mixed berries in a pan with 200g golden caster sugar, a splash of water and a squeeze lemon. Bring to a simmer and cook until the fruit is soft but not jammy. Leave to cool a little. Whizz to a purée and push through a sieve. Cool completely. Pour the purée onto the semi-frozen ice cream in a figure-of-eight shape. Take a spatula and draw 2-3 figures-of-eight through the mixture to ripple colours. Freeze until solid.

Per serving

159 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate 9g, fat 13 g, saturated fat 7g, fibre 0g, sugar 9g, salt 0.04 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, July 2010.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • 2010-07-09 21:37:38.990949

    Damson rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I made the vanilla version - flavour was absolutely sublime. I don't have an ice-cream machine so I kept taking it out of the freezer and beating it but I still ended up with quite a chunky texture. (I'm not sure if I left it too long before the first beating or should have kept on doing it after the 3rd go?) The only thing I would say is that you do need quite a lot of spare time to do it as you have to allow time for the milk infusion & cooling of the custard too.

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  • 2010-07-14 20:16:48.711618

    jasonoleary72 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Wow, what a stunner. This was the best tasting vanilla ice cream I've ever made, and it was dead simple. The texture came out perfect in my ice cream machine. Definately added this to my favourites'.

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  • 2011-03-09 13:22:24.700073

    Phantom rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    This was so lovely & creamy, I made this as an extra dessert for a fussy eater and it was so quick and easy - will definitely be making this again come the summer!

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  • 2011-07-09 21:42:00.707103

    lewisanne commented on this recipe

    would anyone be able to tell me how to stop icecream from going rock hard in the freezer after it as been churned in a icecream maker

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  • 2011-09-29 07:48:05.344864

    Ellie Wetherill commented on this recipe

    i made this it was mint it tasted soooooooooooooo nice i made it again xxxxx

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  • 2011-09-29 07:48:35.591622

    Ellie Wetherill rated this recipe

    3 stars

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  • 2012-05-08 11:53:28.010153

    charity_haynes commented on this recipe

    To stop your ice cream going rock solid after churning in the ice cream maker, all you have to do is add a tbsp or 2 of alcohol - such as rum, or vodka (it acts as an antifreeze - and gives the icecream a perfect texture) You won't be able to taste the alcohol - if you are making a lage quantity (like in this recipe.) I often find that a coffee liquor like Tia Maria works well with Vanilla ice cream - as it compliments the vanilla flavour, masking any alcohol taste. So just add near the end of the churning process, and let the ice cream machine do the mixing for you!

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Makes 1 litre

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 20 mins

Plus chilling and churning
Vegetarian

Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 500ml full-fat milk
  • 300ml pot double cream
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 5 large egg yolks (freeze the whites for next time you want to make meringue)
  • 140g golden caster sugar
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Per serving

159 kcalories, protein 2g, carbohydrate 9g, fat 13 g, saturated fat 7g, fibre 0g, sugar 9g, salt 0.04 g

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