Preparation / Directions:
This begins with vanilla ice cream - as do most fruit and berry flavors - so that's why we start with the mother of them all (and, curiously, America's Number One Favorite flavor-I'll bet you thought it was chocolate!). Use real vanilla beans and freshly grated nutmeg for truly stunning flavor. Do Not Reduce the Sugar! or the ice cream will taste flat and freeze too fast, forming large crystals.
Pour the milk in a small bowl, add gelatin, and set aside to soften. Beat the yolks with the sugar. Split the vanilla bean and scrape its contents into the half-and-half, then add the pod. Bring it to the simmer (do not boil), cover, and steep, off-heat, for 10 minutes. (Vanilla beans are native to Mexico. Most you'll find come from Madagascar, but some of the best ones come from Tahiti. All vary in quality and intensity, so you may wish to use more if the bean is a bit dried out, or less if very fresh.)
Remove the bean pod and store it buried in the sugar jar or in some brandy for your own homemade extract. Beat the yolks with salt and sugar and whisk the hot vanilla cream into them gently. Cook over moderate heat in a heavy saucepan, stirring constantly until the custard coats a wooden spoon.
Lift the pot from time to time. Stir in the nutmeg and the gelatin until thoroughly dissolved (and vanilla extract if no vanilla bean was available), then the heavy cream.
Pour it into a bowl and lay a film of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to repel any other food odors. Refrigerate until well chilled, then pour your mixture into the churn of your ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Homemade ice cream is usually a bit too soft to serve immediately. Firm it up in the freezer of your fridge for a couple of hours.
Scoop the ice cream into a large glass compote or individual cups. At table, quickly light the rum and pour a bit over each serving, or pour the flaming spirits in a scattered pattern over the com
|
