Nutmeg Ice Cream

It's never the wrong time of year for ice cream. I enjoy making it all year round but I vary the flavours depending on the season, spring and summer are all about fresh fruits and refreshing flavours whereas in autumn and winter I mostly make ice creams spiked with spices and booze.  This nutmeg ice cream is perfect for autumn and winter; nutmeg to me is the quintessential flavour of the season and this delicious ice cream makes a great replacement for vanilla to serve with fruit pies, crumbles, tarts and cobblers.

I used a basic cooked custard recipe, the same as I would use for vanilla ice cream, but I replaced the vanilla with nutmeg. First, the milk is warmed with a whole nutmeg, which you need to crack open into a couple of pieces, the best way I found of doing this was to use a garlic crusher or a nutcracker. Once the milk has infused it is whisked into a mixture of egg yolks, cornflour and sugar and is then heated until it thickens; be very careful while doing this step or you will end up with scrambled eggs, keep the heat low, stir constantly, be patient and do not let it boil! The cooked custard is then stirred into some double cream and more grated nutmeg is added before it is chilled and frozen. The effort is worth it, this ice cream is unbelievably good! Try it with apple pie or crumble...heaven!

I am sharing this delicious ice cream with Foodie Fridays and Fiesta Friday

Ingredients:

• 300ml (1 + ¼ cups) double cream
• 500ml (2 + ⅛ cups) whole milk
• 160g (¾ cup + 1tbsp) caster sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 whole nutmeg, cracked
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

Heat the milk and whole nutmeg in a medium saucepan until it reaches simmering point then remove from the heat and leave to steep for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, cornflour and sugar in a large bowl, put the cream in a separate large bowl and place a sieve over the top. Once the milk has infused, very gradually pour it into the egg yolk mixture, whisking the whole time; it helps to put a tea towel under the bowl to stop it from sliding around. Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat gently, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, do not let it boil!

Pour the custard through the sieve into the cream, add the grated nutmeg and whisk to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until completely cold, I make the custard in the evening and then churn it the following day. Churn the custard in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturers instructions then transfer to a tub and freeze for a couple of hours to firm up before serving.