Sous-vide Ice Cream

As a kitchen gadget freak, I acquired a sous-vide machine a few years ago when they were all the rage. I used it a few times but as we aren't great consumers of steaks or chops I wasn't that smitten. My kitchen gadgets have been in store for the last year while we moved house, so the sous-vide recently emerged from a box. And I thought as it was summer, I would try using it to make the custard for ice cream. So here's the story...

This instructable is for fellow kitchen gadget freaks. You need a sous-vide machine, an ice cream maker, a food processor and a stick blender!

4 egg yolks
70 g (1/3 cup) sugar
Pinch of salt
Vanilla pod or extract - I used half a pod and a teaspoon of vanilla bean extract
175 ml (2/3 cup) milk
175 ml (2/3 cup) double (heavy) cream

(I found the same proportions in several recipes on the Internet)

Put everything in a food processor or blender and process to mix. Transfer to a zip-lock freezer bag. Plunge bag in a sink full of water and squeeze the air out, then seal the bag.

Pre- heat the sous-vide water bath to 85 deg C/ 185 deg F. Put the bag of custard in, making sure the custard is below the water level. Cook for 1 hour, shaking the bag every 20 minutes to ensure mixing. Plunge the bag into a bowl of iced water, then chill in the fridge overnight.

Don't panic if the custard looks lumpy! Transfer to a jug and use a stick blender to blend it to a smooth custard. Pour into the ice cream maker and churn until done. Freeze.

The result is very smooth - excellent ice cream. I need to try the same mixture made the traditional way for comparison...