The Kit
You’re so Vanilla
T
Ingredients
Serves 6–8
here’s nothing plain about
this classic vanilla recipe from
Dorset-based Michelin-starred
chef Russell Brown. Many
would argue that vanilla is
actually the ultimate ice cream
flavour, particularly if you use fresh vanilla
pods, but it’s also customisable, allowing you
to use fresh seasonal ingredients.
Ice Cream Recipe by Russell Brown
F
reshly churned ice cream has such a different texture
than something that has been languishing in the freezer
for months. Apart from anything else, household freezers
run at around -18°C which makes the ice cream really hard!
Most of us don’t have the luxury of a special ice cream
freezer, though, so moving your ice cream to the fridge
for 30 to 40 minutes before serving is a good plan. But I
am jumping ahead; the first thing we need to think about
is making the ice cream. A classic vanilla is a great place
to start and is at the top of my list, if for no other reason
than versatility. Perfect in a cone or on top of a warm apple
tart, delicious with some marinated strawberries or with a
shot of espresso poured over it – and that’s before we start
embellishing the recipe! Dorset is a fantastic county for
the key ingredients of good eggs and good dairy produce;
combine these with the best quality vanilla and you are off.
The vanilla you use is a vital part of the process and fresh
vanilla pods, for me, are the best bet. The two main types
are Planifolia and Tahitensis; the Planifolia being the most
common with a biscuity, caramel flavour. The Tahitensis
is a shorter and plumper pod with a much more floral,
fruity taste. In both cases look for pods that are tender, oily
and moist.
An ice cream machine is a real boon, but with some
effort, the results are good by hand. The custard goes in the
freezer and is taken out every 45 minutes and beaten well
until the ice cream has set. A final whizz in a food processor
helps add a silkier finish before returning to the freezer to
firm up ready for serving.
The recipe below is for a straight vanilla ice cream but
you can add many flavours and textures to this to vary
the end result. Infuse coarsely ground coffee beans in the
cream, add fudge or honeycomb pieces when the ice cream
is nearly set or swirl in a reduced fruit purée to create a
ripple ice cream. The secret is to make the consistency of
the purée and the ice cream similar when you fold them
together. Use a metal spoon and a ‘cut and fold’ technique,
making sure you don’t over-mix.
42
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160g Blackacre Farm free
range egg yolks
450ml double cream
375ml semi-skimmed
milk
150g caster sugar
20g glycerine
2 vanilla pods
Method
1. Combine the cream and milk in a
heavy-based pan. Split the vanilla pods
and scrape out the seeds, adding the
pods and the seeds to the cream mix.
2. Bring to a simmer, whisk well and
turn off the heat. Cover the pan and
leave to infuse for 30 mins.
3. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl
with the sugar, reheat the cream mix
and pour onto the yolks, whisking
constantly.
4. Return to the pan and place over a
moderate heat. Bring the custard to
80°C, stirring constantly in a figure of
eight motion as well as circles around
the outside edge of the pan. It is a good
idea to have a large bowl of very cold
water to dip the base of the pan into
should the custard start to scramble.
5. Once the custard is cooked, pass
through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean
plastic container.
6. Chill over ice, add the glycerine
(this will help to prevent the ice cream
freezing too hard) and refrigerate
overnight.
7. The following day, churn in an ice
cream machine then transfer to the
freezer. Alternatively, use the method
to the left to make by hand.