Preparation
- Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Bring the pod, seeds, milk, cream and 60 g of the sugar to the boil in a pan, take off the heat and leave covered to infuse for 30 minutes.
- Whisk the remaining 40 g sugar with the egg yolks and salt in a bowl on low speed for 4 to 5 minutes until creamy.
- Remove the vanilla pod from the milk and bring the milk to the boil again. Slowly pour it onto the egg mixture, stirring.
- Heat the mixture over a hot water bath to 75 to 80 °C, stirring constantly and without letting it boil, until it thinly coats a spoon and thickens slightly.
- Set the bowl in an ice-cold water bath and stir the custard until cold. Then churn in an ice cream machine for 35 to 40 minutes until creamy.
- Serve the ice cream straight away, or let it firm up in a shallow lidded container in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Put two scoops in a glass or bowl and pour a splash of liqueur over them.
Drink with it
Cream liqueur · excellent match
Advocaat or Irish cream, as a splash over the scoops
The egg, cream and vanilla in the liqueur are the same building blocks as in the ice cream; the liqueur settles over it like a sauce and adds warmth against the cold.
Fortified wine · excellent match
Pedro Ximénez sherry, poured over the ice cream or served alongside
A classic in Spain: the raisin, fig and caramel notes of the sherry settle over the vanilla.
Port wine: understanding Ruby, Tawny, and VintageAged rum · good match
Aged rum, neat or drizzled over the ice cream
Vanilla and caramel from the cask pick up the vanilla in the ice cream, much like rum and raisin.
Drinking rum neat: how to get to know a bottlingSweet wine · good match
Sauternes or Riesling Auslese, well chilled
Honeyed sweetness and fresh acidity keep the cream of the ice cream light.
Which wine goes with dessert? Comparing sweetness deliberately