INGREDIENTS

415 g chilled heavy cream, 35-40% fat (14.6 oz; 1¾ cups; 415 ml); 
590 g whole milk, chilled in the refrigerator, for dividing (20.8 oz; 2½ cups; 590 ml)
200 g sugar (7 oz; 15 level tablespoons)
½ teaspoon xanthan gum (1.5 g) 
2 tablespoons vanilla extract (to be added in the last stages of whisking)

PLAN AHEAD

Prepare the ice cream mix (steps 1 to 3) the day before you are going to churn it; (or up to 3 days before).

If your ice cream maker has a removable freezer container, put it in the freezer for the full time indicated by the manufacturer before churning, usually 24 hours. 

Step 1: Prepare the ice cream mix

Combine the cream with 1/3 of the milk: pour the cold heavy cream (415 g; 14.6 oz) and 1/3 of the cold milk (200 g; 7 oz; 200 ml) into the jug of the mixer (or a large bow, if using an immersion blender). If not continuing the recipe immediately, put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

Bring the remaining milk and sugar to a boil: pour the remaining milk (390 g; 13.8 oz) and all the sugar (200 g; 7 oz) into a medium saucepan.

Heat over medium-high heat, stirring often; when it comes to a boil (95°C; 203°F; or when large bubbles appear and burst vigorously on the surface; or if it starts to boil over), immediately remove from the heat and pour into the blender jug with the cold cream and milk.

Do not let the milk come to the boil before all the sugar has dissolved, or the milk may curdle. Stirring often helps the sugar to dissolve effectively.

Turn the mixer on (medium speed). Note: when mixing that amount of boiling hot milk with that amount of cold cream from the fridge, the mixture instantly reaches about 52°C; 131°F; this is a good temperature for the xanthan gum to dissolve effectively. 

Sprinkle the xanthan gum: with the mixer on, slowly sprinkle the xanthan gum (½ teaspoon) over the surface and whisk for 2 minutes to fully hydrate the xanthan gum. Do not wait for the mixture to thicken; it will do so as it cools.

Step 2: Chilling the ice cream mixture

Strain the ice cream mixture over a fine mesh strainer and into a bowl.

Cool: prepare an ice bath by placing ice cubes and cold water in a large bowl and carefully nestle the bowl with the ice cream mixture, being careful not to let any water seep in. Leave to cool for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chill until completely cold: cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. Xanthan gum needs 6-8 hours in the fridge to fully develop, so don’t rush the cooling process.

Tip: store the ice cream mixture in a glass container.

The ice cream mixture will cool more if you store it in a glass container (versus storing it in a plastic container).

If you don’t have a glass container, store the ice cream mixture in the back of the fridge, where things are cooler.

You want the ice cream mixture to be as cold as possible before churning so that it fluffs up as much as possible. If you have a thermometer, the perfect temperature for the ice cream mixture to start churning is 8°C / 46°F (and anywhere from 4°C-12°C / 39°F-53°F is also fine).

Step 3: Churn the ice cream

Check if the ice cream mixture is cold before churning: 4ºC-12ºC / 39ºF-54ºF / feels fridge cold when you insert your index finger.

Prepare the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 

Churning: the ice cream will have thickened slightly after cooling (thick cream consistency); stir well with a rubber spatula.

Churning: with the machine running, pour the ice cream mixture through the canister and into the ice cream maker. 

Let it churn until almost done; you need to add the vanilla extract before it gets too thick.

Add the vanilla extract when the ice cream has fluffed up and is creamy and wavy. Leave to whip for a further 8-10 minutes or until no vanilla streaks are visible.

Step 4: Put the ice cream in the freezer to set.

Put in the freezer to set: before serving the ice cream or transferring it to a container for storage, put it in the freezer to set. To do this, turn off the freezer and 
– remove the removable freezer container (still full of ice cream) from the ice-cream maker
– remove the paddle, scraping off any ice cream that has stuck to it and returning it to the ice-cream bowl 
– cover the bowl of ice cream and place it in the freezer. 
Curdling time depends on many factors; see notes below for indicative times.

Serve or store: when set you can serve directly from the removable bowl in the freezer or transfer to an airtight container for longer storage.

Conservation and service

Storage: in the freezer for one month, tightly covered so that it does not absorb freezer smells. 

To serve: this ice cream, like all artisan ice creams, hardens in the long term. It can be made again perfectly well in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes until it softens, or until its internal temperature is -10°C.