New York chef Dominique Ansel is the creator of the Cronut, the innovative pastry that is like a donut and croissant morphed into one.
In his first book, Secret Recipes from the World Famous New York Bakery, Ansel reveals the secrets to his desserts and their inspiration, from the complicated Cronut that takes four hours to prepare and bake over three days, to this simple vanilla ice cream recipe.
Vanilla ice cream
Skill level: Beginner
Time: 2 hours
Yield: 1 litre (approximately); 15 to 20 small scoops
Recipe and image from Dominique Ansel’s Secret Recipes, Murdoch Books, $49.99.
Ingredients
2¼ cups milk
¾ cup pouring cream (35% fat)
2 vanilla beans (preferably Tahitian) split lengthwise, seeds scraped
¾ cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
Special tools
Instant-read thermometer
Medium sieve
Ice cream machine
Method
Combine the milk, cream and vanilla pods and seeds in a medium saucepan. Start to warm the mixture over low heat.
Whisk the sugar and egg yolks together in a medium bowl until fully combined.
When the milk mixture reaches 35C or feels just warm to the touch, remove from the heat. Stream one-third into the yolks, whisking constantly until fully blended, to temper the yolks. Whisk the tempered yolks into the remaining warm milk. Return the saucepan to low heat.
Whisking constantly, cook the ice cream base over low heat until it reaches 85C or feels very hot to the touch and becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. When a custard reaches this consistency, it’s called nappé, which means “glazed” in French.
Remove from the heat. Strain the ice cream base through a medium sieve into a 1 litre container.
Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Place the container of ice cream base in the ice bath. Stir with a whisk every 10 minutes, until chilled. This stops the base from continuing to cook.
When the base has cooled, pour it into the ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
When finished churning, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container. Allow the ice cream to harden in the freezer for at least 1 hour before serving.
