Ice-cream...The coolest of all desserts, ice cream always has been, and always will be, the ultimate indulgence. Whether simple or sophisticated, familiar or exotic, or hot or cold, ice cream in the twenty-first century is the perfect source of refreshment, a fantastic finale to a dinner party and unbeatable as a luxurious yet comforting treat. Simple to make and with universal appeal, it is the food for all people and for all occasions.
Making a ice cream by hand
Making home made ice cream without an electric machine is just as successful., if a little more labour intensive. The colder the freezer, the more rapidly the ice cream will freeze and the smaller the ice crystals will be. Pour the ice cream mixture into a plastic tub or box, leaving a little headroom for expansion, and place in the freezer. As soon as ice crystals have formed around the edges of the ice cream (usually about 2 hours), remove the mixture from the freezer and beat with a fork, hand-held electric whisk or alternatively transfer to a food processor and beat until smooth. This increases the volume by introducing air, at the same time breaking down the ice crystals. Continue beating at 2-hourly intervals until it is firm enough to scoop. As a general rule, the more the ice-cream is beaten, the smaller the ice crystals will be and the better the finished result.
*Skimmed milk is best avoided when making ice cream at home, due to its low fat content and "thin" taste. Semi-skimmed milk and full fat milk make delicious ice cream, especially when they are mixed with cream.
* Do be careful when using double or clotted cream as their high butter fat content can give the ice cream a buttery flavour and texture, especially if overchurned. Avoid UHT creams as the flavour is too obvious and strong.
Here's a simple recipe that you can prepare for your family.
Cookies & Cream (serves 4-6)
4 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour
300ml semi-skimmed milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
300ml whipping cream
150g chunky chocolate and hazelnut biscuits, crumbled into chunky pieces
Tip: Try to find good quality biscuits with large chunks of chocolate and nuts to make the result even more luxurious.
Procedure:
1. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl until the mixture is thick and foamy. Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan, bring it just to the boil, then pour it on to the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
2. Return to the pan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring until the custard thickens and is smooth. Pour it back into the bowl and cover closely. Leave to cool, then chill.
3. By hand: Stir the vanilla essence into the custard. Whip the cream until it is thickened but is still soft enough to fall from a spoon.
Using an ice-cream maker: Stir the vanilla essence into the custard. Stir in the whipping cream and churn until thick.
4. By hand: Fold the cream into the chilled custard, then pour into a plastic tub or similar freezerproof container. Freeze for 4 hours, beating once with a fork, electric whisk or in a food processor to break up the ice crystals. Beat one more time, then fold in the biscuit chunks. Cover and return to the freezer until firm.
Using an ice-cream maker: Scrape the ice cream into a plastic tub and fold in the biscuit chunks. Freeze for 2-3 hours until firm. Serve in scoops in bowls.
