Ice cream is one of those dishes that I turn to for comfort. Doesn’t matter the season, doesn’t matter the flavour, the process of making it and then the enjoyment from eating it, is a particularly comforting one. I don’t know how you’re all doing right now, I hope you’re staying safe and not going stir crazy stuck at home, but I’ve found myself in a weird place. Some days I’m fine, keeping busy with the few bits of work I've managed to save, and some days like today I wake up at 5.30 in the morning full of anxiety and stress. So I made ice cream. I know in some parts of the world eggs seem scare right now and if thats the case can I suggest this no churn ice cream instead, no eggs required. Scarcity was an issue here in London too, a couple weeks ago, but thankfully the panic buying and hoarding seems to have quieted down a little and all the ingredients needed have become plentiful again.

For the flavour, I wanted nostalgia and simplicity so I made a vanilla enriched base, using the vanilla beans because really what else am I saving them for. When I grabbed the vanilla from my newly organised baking cupboard (quarantine made me do it, or at least gave me a lack of excuses not to do it) I remembered I had a little jar of tonka beans, hidden and neglected in the back. Every time I use tonka I remember how much I love it but I rarely use it because it’s not widely available and I don’t like using lots of ingredients that are harder to track down so forgive my indulgence today you can leave it out if you prefer. Tonka has a unique flavour, a mash up of vanilla and spice. Its a strong flavour and needs to be used sparingly but it can really elevate a dish and make it wonderfully special. Paired with the vanilla of this dish it makes the ice cream a little more complex and rounds out the flavour, if you have some give it a try, if you don’t have some and self isolation’s got you bored maybe order some and have a play with a new ingredient.

Before we get to the recipe I wanted to talk about something a little more serious. I am a self employed food writer and unsurprisingly most of my work for the year basically vanished in a flash. I want to keep producing work for you guys, I want to give a place to come to for fun recipes you can make whilst we’re all stuck at home, and I want to produce content that you can escape with for a bit, but for that I need you’re help and support. I’ve decided to start a patreon and it will be an extension of the site. There is exclusive recipes, bonus episodes of my podcast, live hangouts and more as I think of it. I have kept the price really low and of course if you cant support I completely understand and don’t worry I’ll still be posting regular new recipes here and hanging out over on instagram. But, if you can support me, I would be forever grateful. The next recipe is online today and it is the cookies I used to turn this ice cream into an ice cream sandwich, it's a caramelised oatmeal and milk chocolate cookie, and its a bit special.

https://www.patreon.com/theboywhobakes 

Vanilla and Tonka Bean Ice Cream

300ml whole milk
450ml double cream
125g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
1/2 tonka bean
6 large egg yolks
Pinch of salt

To make the ice cream in large saucepan place the milk, cream, half the sugar, the vanilla beans scraped from the pod (throw the pod in too), and grate in the tonka bean too. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and pop the lid on the pan, setting aside for an hour so the vanilla and tonka can do their thing and infuse the dairy.

Once the hour is up place pan back on the heat and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile place the egg yolks, the salt and the remaining sugar into a large bowl and whisk together until the yolks are pale. Whilst continuing to whisk slowly pour in the milk mixture. This whisking helps prevent the eggs from scrambling and the slow pour helps gently increase the temperature of the eggs. Pour the custard back into the pan and over low heat, cook stirring constantly with a silicon spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan, until the custard reaches 75-80C and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour the custard into a bowl, through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps, and place the bowl into a large bowl filled with ice. Stir the custard for a few minutes until cooled to room temperature then press a sheet of clingfilm onto the surface of the custard, to prevent a skin for forming, and chill for at least four hours but preferably over night. This chilling does two things, it allows the flavours to enhance further plus cooling the custard down means when churning the ice cream is formed quicker which improves the texture.

When thoroughly chilled churn using an ice cream machine, referring to the manufacturers instructions. Scrape the finished ice cream into a sealable container and freeze until solid. Homemade ice cream is best within a couple weeks.

The recipe for the cookies in the pictures, a caramelised oatmeal and milk chocolate cookie, is online now on my patreon page.