Home-Made Praline Ice-Cream

Yes, I make my own ice-cream!

It is relatively straightforward, but if you take your eye off it during the thickening process, you do risk curdling the mix. But your patience & observation will be rewarded: home-made ice-cream is so much better than the store bought stuff.

I am lucky enough to own an ice-cream maker, but you don't necessarily need one. If you use some electric beaters, and then pop in the freezer for 25 mins, then beat again, and repeat 3 or so more times, you will have a lovely creamy ice-cream. 

Ice-cream needs to be beaten to stop the water molecules turning into little ice-crystals; by beating the ice-cream you disperse the water molecules, stopping them from forming into crystals & have a lovely creamy consistency as a result.

This ice-cream is the one thing I know my friends would almost start swinging over to get their share (shout out Mama Nat! xx)

Anth's Praline Ice-Cream

For the Praline:

Preheat the oven to 180'c.

Place 1/3 cup blanched almonds on a baking tray lined

w/ non-stick baking paper & bake for 10 mins or until golden. 

Place 1/2 cup of caster sugar & 1/4 cup water in a

saucepan over low heat & stir until the sugar has dissolved. Do ensure that all the sugar dissolves, or you will end up w/ hard sugar crystals that are of no use to anyone.

Increase the heat and boil the mixture until a lovely golden colour:

    

Remove from the heat, allow the bubbles to sub-side & pour over the almonds.

When set, break into rough pieces, and then (to make it fine enough for ice-cream) blitz in a food processor until a fine-ish powder, though still with the occasional nice lump.

For the Ice-Cream:

1 cup full-cream milk

2 cups single (pouring) cream

1 vanilla bean, split & seeds scraped,

OR

1 tsp vanilla paste

6 egg yolks

2/3 cup caster sugar

Place the milk, cream & vanilla (whole bean & seeds, if that is what you are using) in a saucepan over medium hear & heat, stirring occasionally, until hot but not boiling. Remove from the heat & set aside.

Place the egg yolks & sugar in a bowl & whisk until thick & pale: this is an important step, so don't skip on the whisking! Remove the vanilla bean from the cream mixture (if used) and slowly pour over the egg yolks whisking continually to combine.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan & stir over low heat for 4 minutes or until the mixture is thick & coats the back of a wooden spoon, so that when you drag your finger across the back, you easily leave a line. 

Set aside to cool, then cover in clingwrap & place into the fridge until cooled. 

If using an ice-cream maker, pour the mixture in & churn. 

Once the mixture has hardened somewhat, pour in the praline powder & continue churning. 

If using beaters, pour into a large, strong plastic container, and beat for 2 mins before placing in the freezer. Pop into the freezer for an hour and a half or so, then take out and beat again; freeze for another 1.5 - 2 hours and add the praline now before beating a final time, then store in the freezer until ready to serve.  

Wine Match

Serve this with a dessert-glass of chilled butterscotch schnapps: delicious!