How To Make Ice Cream: 2 Easy Recipes

Temperatures are soaring to above 30 degrees in the UK, which calls for one thing: ice cream. But instead of buying the same old 99 flake, why not have a go at whipping some up yourself? Here we share two easy ice cream recipes – one made the traditional way, the other dairy-free. 

Fig Leaf Ice-Cream

Serves 6–8

The great thing about this recipe is that it makes use of the fig tree’s extraordinary leaves. So even if you don’t get enough sun to ripen the fruit, you can still enjoy the unique flavour of this wonderful plant, somehow sweet and green at the same time. Toasting the leaves makes a huge difference to the depth of flavour in the finished ice-cream.

Ingredients

• 4 fig leaves, washed and dried
• 475 ml/16 fl oz (2 cups) double (heavy) cream
• 475 ml/16 fl oz (2 cups) milk
• 200 g/7 oz (1 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• Pinch of salt
• 30 g/11⁄4 oz (scant 1⁄2 cup) (instant dry) whole milk powder

Method

1. Toast the fig leaves over a gas flame until they are wilted and caramel coloured around the edges, but don’t let them burn. Set aside to cool, then tear them into small pieces.
2. Heat the cream and milk with half the sugar in a heavy pan set over medium heat. Once the cream begins to boil, stir in the torn fig leaves, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to infuse (steep) for 15 minutes.
3. In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, whole egg, salt, (instant dry) milk powder and the remaining sugar and briskly whisk for 1 minute. Fill a large bowl with water and ice cubes.
4. Return the pan with the cream to the heat and bring it back up to a simmer, then strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a jug (pitcher). Using a ladle, slowly pour some
   of the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture to warm it and loosen it slightly. Gradually pour the warmed egg mixture into the remaining hot cream in the pan, whisking constantly as you pour. Cook the custard over medium heat, stirring continuously and scraping the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and place the pan of custard into the prepared bowl of iced water to cool completely, stirring it periodically and being careful not to get any splashes of water in the custard. Transfer the custard to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you can.
5. Pour the custard into an ice-cream maker and churn according to the machine’s directions. The ice-cream is ready once it has increased in volume, holds the lines from the stirring mechanism and mounds like softly whipped cream. Transfer the ice-cream to a lidded freezer-proof container and freeze for a few hours until firm before serving.

Extracted from Grow Fruit & Veg in Pots: planting advice and recipes from Great Dixter by Aaron Bertelsen, published by Phaidon

Vegan Almond Milk Ice Cream

Serves 5–6, makes 750ml

Almonds are naturally mild and creamy, so it should come as no surprise that this is a soft, delicate ice cream. To add a touch of ‘disco’, we’ve included a chunk of marzipan, grated, and melted by the warmth of the almond milk. As it dissolves into the ice cream base, it immediately infuses its lovely rich almond notes.

Ingredients

• 600ml (20fl oz) almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 140g (5oz) white marzipan
• ½ teaspoon powdered
• xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoons liquid pectin
• 150g (5½oz) icing sugar, sifted
• Small handful of pistachio nibs, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Gently warm the almond milk and vanilla bean paste in a medium saucepan and, just as the milk begins to simmer and steam rises from the surface, remove from the heat. Using the coarse side of a box grater, grate the marzipan into the milk and stir intermittently until the marzipan melts, roughly 5–6 minutes. If any pieces of marzipan are refusing to melt, briefly return the pan to the heat and continue to stir until they disappear.
2. Tip the xanthan gum into a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the warm almond milk mixture. Stir to combine until you have a thick, soft and uniform paste. Return this paste to the saucepan and continue to stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat. Stir in the pectin and icing sugar and again, stir until smooth and uniform. Set the mixture aside to cool for 2 hours.
3. Pour into an ice-cream machine and churn to a soft set following the manufacturer’s instructions, or until the blade stops. Spoon the soft ice cream into an airtight, freezerproof container and put in the freezer for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, until firm. Remove from the freezer and allow the ice cream to soften for 5–10 minutes before scooping. Serve with pistachio nibs, if using.

Extracted from Jude’s Ice Cream & Desserts

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