Mixed Berry Ice Cream

Place frozen berries in a large microwave-proof bowl and microwave for 30 - 40 seconds or until they have softened slightly. Do not cook them through, you just want to soften them to make them easier to work with.

Transfer berries to a food processor and blend until they form a thick puree.

Place a sieve above a medium sized bowl and pour the berry mixture through the sieve in batches. This will take a while and you will need to press the puree through the sieve. This is to remove the bulk of the seeds and is well worth the effort. You should be left with a thick, smooth puree. Set aside.

Pour the cream and milk into a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from your split vanilla bean and add both seeds and bean to the saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a simmer then remove from heat. Do not allow to boil. Remove vanilla bean and set cream/milk mixture aside.

In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until pale. Add about half a cup of the milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then gradually pour in the rest, again, whisking constantly.

Transfer milk and egg mixture to a clean saucepan and set over low heat on the stove. Stir continuously and do not leave the stove at any point as the mixture can easily curdle if left unattended. Do not allow the mixture to simmer or boil.

Allow the mixture to thicken slightly and, when it coats the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and return to a large bowl. Allow to cool slightly.

Stir the berry puree into the custard mixture and add the lemon juice.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Once the mixture reaches the consistency of soft serve ice cream, transfer to a plastic container and place in the freezer overnight to set completely.