SHF #16 - A Recipe for Love: Vanilla Ice Cream

When Jennifer from Taste Everything Once decided that this month's theme for Sugar High Fridays would be aphrodisiac desserts, I turned to a trusty spice: Vanilla.

While some might think it's boring, it's in fact an old and widely used aphrodisiac. Indeed, many studies show that the one scent that turns men on the most is.. vanilla. You can read lots more here.

So, what to make with vanilla? Why not go for a classic, simple creamy vanilla ice cream. I got the recipe from a lovely book called "Iskallt" by Elisabeth Johansson, but added another vanilla bean for extra punch. Serve with your favorite addition, or enjoy it as it is. I like to eat it with hot cherries, or with cloudberry jam.

You should start this the night before you plan to it, ideally. And yes, you need an ice cream maker for this particular recipe.

Vanilla Ice Cream

2 vanilla beans
350 ml milk
400 ml double cream
6 egg yolks
200 ml sugar (0,85 cups)

Score the vanilla beans. Scrape out the seeds into a small saucepan, add the beans and the milk and cream. Slowly bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, preferrably with a lip, beat the yolks and the sugar until pale and very fluffy. Sieve the vanilla mixture into the eggs, and mix well until smooth. Pour the mixture back in the saucepan, and heat gently, stirring constantly. The liquid should reach 85°C - but it must absolutely not boil. Remove from heat, sieve again, and pour it into a clean bowl or pitcher. Place in the fridge - preferrably over night so that the proteins have time to swell. This will help the flavors develop.

When the mixture is properly cold, run it in an ice cream maker until frozen through. My machine takes about 20 minutes. Scoop into a container, place in freezer until ready to eat. This never gets really hard and icy, so you can eat it straight from the freezer.

Tagged with: SHF # 16