Ingredients:
- 300ml (10fl oz) milk
- 1 vanilla pod, split, or 1/2tsp vanilla extract
- 4 large egg yolks
- 125g (4 1/2oz) caster sugar
- 300ml (10fl oz) double cream
- Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the vanilla pod or extract and gently bring to the boil.
- Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until they are pale and creamy.
- Stir in the milk, return the liquid to the saucepan and stir continuously over a low heat until it thickens and just starts to coat the back of your spoon (it should be the consistency of double cream).
- Make sure you don't boil the custard because it may separate and curdle.
- if you feel it is getting too hot, remove from the heat and just continue stirring until it thickens.
Remove the pan from the heat, take out the vanilla pod, if using (scraping out the seeds first), stir in the cream and leave to cool. - leave the custard base to cool and then pour the mixture into an ice-cream machine and churn for about 20-30 minutes, until the ice cream is thick and scoopable.
- This is ready to eat straight away, or can be made into a sundae as suggested on these pages, or transferred to the freezer in a covered container.
- If you don't have an ice-cream machine, place the mixture in a container (ideally metal) and freeze, beating well at 1 hour intervals, until scoopable.
