Sunil Vijayakar's Simple Vanilla Ice-cream

When the temperature's soaring, cool down with a bowl of home-made ice-cream. Here's how it's done...

1. 1

   HOW TO MAKE ICE-CREAM BY HAND...
   
   Set your freezer to -18C. Pour your ice-cream mixture into a shallow container, then cover and freeze for 2-3 hours.
   
   Remove from the freezer and mash the mixture up with a fork, breaking any crystals that form on the sides.
   
   Return to the freezer and repeat every 30 minutes for up to 4 hours, or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Cover and freeze until ready to serve.
   
   ...OR WITH AN ICE-CREAM MAKER
   
   STEP ONE
   Bring 300ml (10fl oz) milk to just under the boil. Place a bowl on a damp cloth and add 100g (3½oz) caster sugar and 4 egg yolks. Whisk well to combine.
   Pour the milk into the mixture slowly, whisking, then return to the pan. On a medium heat, stirring, allow to thicken. Return to the bowl and leave to cool.
   
   STEP TWO
   Once cool, pour mixture back into pan. Slice 2 vanilla pods in half, lengthways. Split the pods open and scrape out the seeds using the tip of a knife.
   Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and blend in 300ml (10fl oz) double cream. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Return the mixture to the pan.
   
   STEP THREE
   Pour into an ice-cream maker (or use the hand method, see above) and churn for 20-25 minutes (according to the manufacturer's instructions).
   After churning, transfer the ice-cream into a shallow, freezer-proof container and freeze for 4-5 hours.