
The Cookery Book
Rosemary Ice Cream


Rosemary Ice Cream
Serves 8
Preparation Time: One hour plus
This is a GUEST RECIPE which I found in a recent issue of Country Life. I discovered that it really is best to make the ice cream a day or so in advance. This has to be the most delicious ice cream I have ever had and seems to be universally popular with all our guests!
This involves some preparation and cooking time but
the effort is so worth it!
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I now use this recipe (minus the rosemary) as my basis for adding
one Tonka bean, grated
700g strawberries, washed and crushed
Half a bar of melted Belgian chocolate
and endless other flavours.
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Ingredients
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600ml double cream
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600ml full-fat milk
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190g sugar (I use Golden Caster Sugar. which gives it a beautiful deep cream colour)
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1 vanilla pod
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4 egg yolks
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¼ teaspoon of either xantham or guar gum or one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with a little water into a paste
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2 sprigs rosemary
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Method
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Heat the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla pod and rosemary in a heavy-based pan to the shivery stage, just before it boils, then allow to completely cool to steep. I leave it for an hour.
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Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and add to the custard, then remove the rosemary, then reheat the mixture—again, being careful not to boil it—and whisk continuously as you pour it into a bowl with the egg yolks.
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Return to the pan and stir it continually over the heat until it’s thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
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Sieve the custard into a large clean jug or bowl and then cool a little before transferring to the ice-cream machine.
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Pour it into an ice-cream machine and leave it to churn, then transfer into containers, label and put it in the freezer to harden completely until you’re almost ready to serve.
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If you do not have an ice cream maker, simply put the mix into the freezer to cool rapidly and the final time, just once again, put it into the freezer when it was quite hot.
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When it is time to serve, remove from freezer for about 20 - 30 mins to soften a little.