Since spring has officially made its entrance and the weather has started to improve, ice creams have started to make their appearance. In Greece, apart from the usual night clubs, restaurants/tavernas and bars, there is another one category which is unique; cafeterias. You will certainly ask what is so unique about them. Well, apart from the obvious coffee and all the rest of the beverages that are served in there, their clients have the chance to enjoy a big range of sweets, ice creams or savory snacks. So, these places can practically serve from a light breakfast to a simple dinner.
Ice cream is an indispensable item in their menus and one can find a vast selection from simple vanilla and chocolate to more extravagant mastic, stracciatella or exotic fruits ones. Unlike Italians, Greeks do not have a steady consumption of ice cream throughout the year. During winter, although all dining places and cafeterias have ice creams in their menus, people prefer to have as a dessert more wintery sweets such as lava cakes, soufflés, syrupy Greek sweets, French pastries etc.
On the contrary, when weather starts to improve, ice cream starts to come first in our preferences and its consumption soars. I still remember when we were kids that we counted each and every ice cream we were consuming and we were competing with each other as to whom would eat the most. Did you have such thing where you lived?
Unfortunately, nowadays unless you know that a restaurant prepares its own ice cream, the majority of the ice creams that circulate are made with powdered milk and ingredients of ambiguous origins. I cannot avoid consuming such types of ice creams, neither can I deter my son from doing so. What I can do is trying to decrease the quantity of them. For this reason, when spring starts, I dust my ice cream maker and start making my own ice cream. Usually, I, first, make chocolate because both my son and I are big chocoholics and then I prepare also couple of fruity ones like strawberry or peach. Check this Vanilla, Almond Ice Cream or this No Machine, No Eggs Chocolate Ice Cream or this Very Chocolate Ice Cream, Kid’s Friendly Edition or this Peach Sorbet for more ideas on ice creams.
Every year, I am trying a new recipe that either it is good and I add it in my recipe box or discard it. This year I made this delicious vanilla ice cream which was really good. I used a vanilla bean which made a huge difference in flavor and also the texture and the taste of this particular one were really extraordinary. I would say that this ice cream is of restaurant quality and of course it is homemade something that is priceless by itself. It was not as easy as the other recipes I have tried, but I can tell you it was certainly worth the added effort. I really recommend it as it took rave opinions by everyone who tried it.
- 250ml / 8.5 fl. oz. full fat milk
- A pinch of salt
- 130 gr. / 4.5 oz. sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 500 ml / 17 fl. oz. heavy cream
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp white rum
- In a pot heat the milk, salt, and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
- Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and throw them into the milk.
- Then add the bean also to the milk.
- Remove from fire, and let it stand for half an hour for the vanilla to release its aromas.
- In a bowl, stir together the egg yolks.
- Remove the vanilla bean and bring the milk again on the stove and warm it.
- Temper the egg yolks by adding a few spoons of milk to the yolks while whisking to bring both batters at the same temperature.
- Pour the warmed yolks back into the milk in the pot.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula.
- When the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula remove from fire.
- In a separate bowl pour the heavy cream straight from the fridge.
- Use a strainer and strain the custard into the heavy cream.
- Add the rum and the vanilla extract, cover it and put it in the fridge for at least three hours or overnight even better.
- When the custard is completely cooled, pour it in your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Freeze for a few hours and there you have your ice cream ready to be consumed.
- 250 ml πλήρες γάλα
- Μια πρέζα αλάτι
- 130 γρ. ζάχαρη
- 1 λοβό βανίλιας κομμένο στα δύο κατά μήκος
- 500 ml κρέμα γάλακτος
- 5 κρόκους αυγών
- 1 κ.γ. εκχύλισμα βανίλιας
- 2 κ.σ. λευκό ρούμι
- Κρέμα βαλσαμική με γεύση φράουλα για το γαρνίρισμα
- Σε μια κατσαρόλα ζεσταίνετε το γάλα, το αλάτι και τη ζάχαρη έως ότου διαλυθεί η ζάχαρη.
- Ξύστε τους σπόρους από τον λοβό βανίλιας και ρίξτε τους στο γάλα.
- Στη συνέχεια, προσθέστε και τον λοβό επίσης στο γάλα.
- Αφαιρέστε από τη φωτιά και αφήστε το να σταθεί για μισή ώρα έτσι ώστε η βανίλια να απελευθερώσει όλα της τα αρώματα.
- Σε ένα μπολ, ανακατέψτε μαζί τους κρόκους των αυγών.
- Αφαιρέστε τον λοβό της βανίλιας και βάλτε το γάλα και πάλι στο μάτι της κουζίνας και ζεστάνετε.
- Προσθέστε μερικές κουταλιές γάλα στους κρόκους, ανακατεύοντας να φέρετε και τα δύο μίγματα στην ίδια θερμοκρασία.
- Ρίξτε τους κρόκους πίσω στο γάλα και ανακατέψτε.
- Μαγειρέψτε σε σιγανή φωτιά, ανακατεύοντας συνεχώς, ξύνοντας το κάτω μέρος με μια σπάτουλα.
- Όταν η κρέμα πήξει αρκετά ώστε να καλύπτει τη σπάτουλα αφαιρέστε από τη φωτιά.
- Σε ένα ξεχωριστό μπολ ρίξτε την κρέμα γάλακτος κατευθείαν από το ψυγείο.
- Περάστε από ένα σουρωτήρι την κρέμα και ρίξτε τη στην κρέμα γάλακτος ανακατεύοντας συνεχώς.
- Προσθέστε το ρούμι και το εκχύλισμα βανίλιας και ανακατέψτε.
- Καλύψτε την κρέμα και βάλτε τη στο ψυγείο για τουλάχιστον τρεις ώρες ή όλη νύχτα ακόμα καλύτερα.
- Όταν η κρέμα είναι εντελώς κρύα, ρίξτε τη στην παγωτομηχανή και ακολουθήστε τις οδηγίες του κατασκευαστή.
- Καταψύξτε για μερικές ώρες και είναι έτοιμη.
- Σερβίρετε είτε με σιρόπι είτε αν θέλετε κάτι διαφορετικό με κρέμα βαλσαμική με γεύση φράουλα.
