Lemon Cardamom Ice Cream

We are sure most of you have enjoyed a delightful long weekend holiday. With the great festivities and lots of delicious and spicy food, we are sure you would enjoy this delightfully refreshing ice-cream recipe. This unusual, rich ice cream has a lovely "tang". Simple to prepare by hand, so you need not worry about not having and ice cream maker. It is perfect for serving after a spicy main course.

Ingredients (Serves 6)

1 tbsp cardamom pods

4 egg yolks

115 g caster sugar

2 tsp cornflour

grated rind and juice of 3 lemons

300 ml milk

300 ml whipping cream

lemon balm sprigs and icing sugar, to decorate (optional)

Method

1. Put the cardamom pods in a mortar and crush them with a pestle to release the seed. Pick out and discard the shells, then grind the seeds to break them up slightly.
2. Put the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour, lemon rind and juice in a bowl. Add the cardamom seeds and whisk well.
3. Bring the milk to the boil in a heavy-based saucepan, then pour it over the egg yolk mixture, stirring well. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over very gentle heat, stirring until the custard thickens. Do not let it boil or it may curdle.
4. Pour the custard into a bowl, cover the surface closely with a circle of dampened greaseproof paper and leave it to cool. Chill until very col, then whisk the cream lightly into the chilled custard.
5. By hand: Pour the custard mixture into a plastic tub or similar freezeproof container and freeze for 6 hours or until firm, beating once or twice to break up the ice crystals.Using an ice cream maker: Churn the mixture until it holds it shape. Transfer to a plastic tub or similar freezeproof container and freeze the ice cream until ready to serve.
6. Transfer the ice cream to the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Scoop into glasses. Decorate with the sprigs of lemon balm, dusted with icing sugar, if you like.

Our Tips: Lemon balm is an easy herb to grow. The leaves are best picked before the flowering period, when they are their most fragrant. You can also refer to further tips on making ice cream by hand provided with our Cookies and Cream Ice Cream recipe here.

We hope you enjoy this tantalizing recipe. Have a great week ahead.