Recipe For Crème Brûlée Ice Cream Using Real Vanilla

Crème brûlée ice cream sounds a little unusual but I wanted to create an ice cream for the many people (including myself) who love the definitive classic crème brûlée dessert. I adapted my classic custard base vanilla ice cream recipe which uses real vanilla and came up with this - a very rich and creamy ice cream.

Ingredients for the ice cream:
5 egg yolks (beaten)
4oz (100g) demerera sugar
¾ pint (375ml) full cream milk
¾ pint (375ml) heavy/double cream
1 vanilla pod (scored down the middle)
Optional extra: 1 level teaspoon cornflour (for a thicker texture or when using an ice cream maker with a bowl that has to be frozen in advance)

Ingredients for the crunch topping: 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cold water

Method for the ice cream : Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring slowly up to boiling point but DO NOT LET IT BOIL. Place the vanilla pod into it and leave to infuse for about 20 minutes. In a bowl, beat and mix together the egg yolks and sugar (and cornflour if using it) until thick. Pour the milk into the mixture of egg yolks and sugar whilst stirring and carefully remove the vanilla pod from the mixture. Scrape out the seeds into the mixture then pour it back into the pan. Heat gently, stirring until the custard thickens - DO NOT BRING TO THE BOIL OR IT WILL PROBABLY CURDLE.  When you see a film form over the back of your spoon it's time to remove the saucepan from the heat. Leave to cool. When the custard base is cold stir in the cream and transfer to a chilled bowl. For best results refrigerate the mix for at least 3 hours (overnight if you have the time). Transfer the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serves 8-10.

Method for the crunchy caramelized topping: Place the sugar and water into a saucepan over a medium heat and stir together whilst bringing to the boil. Cook until the mixture turns golden brown. NOTE: The mixture will be very hot at this point so handle with care. Pour slowly and carefully onto a prepared baking tray lined with foil. Allow to cool. When cool break up into small pieces - I prefer to crunch my caramelized sugar quite finely. Set to one side. Sprinkle over the top of the ice cream when serving.

This is my crème brûlée ice cream served as an accompaniment to homemade fruit crumble.

The caramelized sugar topping and the real vanilla taste to the ice cream made it an instant hit with my dinner guests!

Read about other recipes for homemade ice cream

Author: Shelagh Caudle