Photography © Brett Stevens

True blue vanilla ice cream

There is something so pure and decadent about this most divine vanilla ice cream. I’m mighty fussy and don’t enjoy most store-bought vanilla ice cream, but it is probably a good thing it doesn’t taste this good. This is the real deal. Try making it just once and you’ll be hooked!

Makes 1 litre (35 fl oz)

1 vanilla bean

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) thin (pouring) cream

325 ml (11 fl oz) full-cream milk

9 egg yolks

165 g (5¾ oz/¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

Using a small sharp knife, split the vanilla bean down its length, scrape out the seeds, then place both the pod and seeds in a saucepan. Add the cream and milk. Bring almost to the boil over medium–high heat, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the infused milk mixture. Pour into a clean saucepan and stir over medium–low heat for 15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to a thin custard consistency and easily coats the back of a spoon. Cool slightly, then pour into a bowl. Cover and chill for 2 hours, or until cold.

Strain, then churn and freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (Alternatively, you can pour the custard mixture into a large shallow cake tin and freeze for 2–3 hours, or until just frozen around the edges. Whisk to evenly distribute the ice crystals through the mixture. Repeat this every hour until the mixture is frozen and evenly textured.)

Transfer to a 1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cup) plastic container. Smooth the surface over, top with a sheet of baking paper, then pop the lid on. The ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to 1 week, but tastes best if eaten within a few days.

Vanilli manilli

No imposters here, simply riffs on vanilla…

Ginger ice cream

Use only ½ vanilla bean, and add 1½ tablespoons ground ginger or 100 g (3½ oz) finely chopped fresh ginger to infuse the milk in the first step; strain the fresh ginger out before churning. For honey ginger ice cream, substitute honey for half the sugar.

Coco-berry crunch

Just as the ice cream is firming up, stir in some desiccated coconut, Strawberry syrup and biscuit (cookie) pieces. Before you seal and freeze the ice cream, sprinkle the top with extra strawberry syrup and desiccated coconut.

Cappuccino swirl

When the ice cream is almost frozen, add a drizzle of Coffee syrup and some finely grated chocolate and churn until it just mixes through. Drizzle the top with coffee syrup before sealing and freezing.

Muesli & milk

Stir a small amount of honey-toasted oats, toasted chopped nuts and toasted shredded coconut through the ice cream just before it firms up.

Rhubarb crumble

As the ice cream starts to firm, stir in some poached rhubarb, toasted oats, biscuit (cookie) pieces, toasted shredded coconut, ground cinnamon and chopped toasted pecans. (Instead of rhubarb, use poached or tinned pears, peaches, apricots or apple for different ice cream crumbles.)