Saul's Vanilla Icecream

Saul likes to serve home-made vanilla ice cream with his Apple Tartain.  And his Crepes Suzette.  Here's how he does it.

Anglaise Sauce

This vanilla sauce can be used as a base for an ice-cream, or, with a little brandy or Grand-Marnier added to it, poured it over fruit cakes and fruit salads!

If you're using this anglaise as a base for ice-cream, you can toss anything into it before you put it in the churn: strawberries, peanut butter, honey etc. etc. etc. 

Note:  If you are adding a sugary ingredient, cut down on the sugar in the base recipe.  If you are adding alcohol, keep the amount to a minimum or it will affect the freezing and cause the mix to separate. 

Yummy example:  To make rum 'n raisin ice-cream, soak raisins overnight in just enough rum to allow the flavor to permeate the fruit.  Toss the mildly alcoholic raisins into the anglaise at the very end of the cooking process - allowing the hot anglaise liquid to fully rehydrate the fruit.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 cup milk

1/2 cup caster sugar

5 egg yolks

1 vanilla bean split and scraped, OR 1 overflowing tsp of vanilla seeds.  (NEVER use the cheap vanilla flavoring on the supermarket baking shelf.  You may as well go buy Dairy Bell ice-cream, and then there is no hope for you at all.)

In a small saucepan, and over a moderate heat, bring the cream and milk to a gentle boil.  Do not walk away!  The milk WILL overflow as soon as you turn your back.  (If using a small pot over a gas stove, do not let the heat get high - or the flames will run up the sides of the pot and scald the milk.) 

            The anglaise must be prepared over a water bath, so set a pot of water to boil - you want only an inch or two of water in the bottom of the pot so that there can be an air space between the boiling water and the bowl of ingredients.

            In a cheap metal bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the sugar.  (These must be whisked immediately upon contact - or the sugar will begin to cure the yolks, and you will have nasty flakes of dried egg throughout your anglaise.)

            As soon as the hot milk mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat.  Whisking continuously, gradually – very gradually - add the hot liquid to the egg and yolk mixture.  Adding the hot liquid very slowly will stop you from ending up with rich scrambled eggs instead of a smooth sauce.  (Which might be nice to try as well.  Go ahead.  I dare you.)

            Place the mixture over the water bath and whisk continuously.  You must keep the liquid MOVING.  If the sauce at the sides of the bowl begins to solidify, stir it back in - you don't want scrambled vanilla eggs.  Stir until the mixture holds –

            Test by dipping a spoon into the sauce.  Remove the spoon, turn it over and drag a finger through the sauce on the back of the spoon - if the clear line holds free of sauce, the anglaise is ready.  Remove from heat.

            Important Note: Because of the egg and dairy content, an anglaise is very susceptible to bacteria growth.  Unless you plan to use it within an hour or two, chill quickly in an ice bath or over a bowl of ice.