We were recently given an ice cream maker and a couple of kilos of plums. Immediately, I saw the possibilites and did some experimenting. Here are the results...
- 800g plums, halved and stoned
- 200g white sugar
- 500ml cream
- 200ml full-cream milk
- 2 vanilla pods
- 6 egg yolks
- Place the plums and 50g of the sugar into a saucepan.
- Cover and simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Allow the mixture to cool.
- Blend the mixture until smooth, strain into a bowl, and store in the fridge.
- In a bowl, whisk the remaining sugar and egg yolks.
- Split open the vanilla pods and scrape out the seeds. Keep both the pods and seed.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and milk together with the vanilla pods, and bring it to the boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla seeds. Remove the vanilla pods.
- Slowly add this hot liquid to the egg/sugar mix and whisk until combined.
- Pour this mixture into a clean saucepan and gently cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until it is thick enough to coat a wooden spoon (this will be before its boiling point).
- Once the custard is ready, transfer to a clean bowl and place in the fridge until thoroughly chilled.
- Combine the chilled custard and fruit puree, then churn in an ice-cream maker for 30 minutes or until thick.
Note: If the custard curdles or separates, it is likely due to the custard being heated too quickly. If it has not curdled too far, it can be saved by taking the custard off the heat and putting it in a blender. This reconstitutes the custard and you can then return it to the heat in a clean saucepan.
