Salted almond ice cream

This salty-sweet almond ice cream recipe from Jason Atherton is to die for, and perfect when served beside a hot pudding.

Ingredients

1 litre double cream
12 free-range egg yolks
250g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split
150g flaked almonds
12g fleur du sel

Heat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. In a saucepan, heat the cream and vanilla pod, bring to the boil, then take off the heat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together until pale and thick. Pour the hot cream over the egg yolks and sugar, then whisk until combined. Transfer to a clean pan, return to a low heat and gently cook, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Meanwhile, toast the almonds mixed with the fleur du sel on a baking sheet for 5 minutes until just golden. Pour the hot, salty almonds into the custard and whizz in a food processor. Set aside to infuse and cool for at least 30 minutes.
Pass the custard through a sieve again and churn in an ice-cream machine until almost frozen. Transfer the ice cream to the freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours until fully frozen.

Recipe from April 2014 Issue

Per 100g

If you don’t have an ice-cream machine, transfer the cooled custard to the freezer, then remove after 1 hour and whisk to break up the ice crystals before returning to the freezer. Repeat 3 more times, then freeze until solid.

Lightly whisk unused egg whites, then freeze in bags with the date and number of egg whites written on it, for up to 3 months. Defrost and use for meringues.
Make the custard up to the end of step 2, then keep, covered with cling film, in the fridge for up to 2 days before churning.

The frozen ice cream will keep in the freezer, covered, for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer for 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly.
Fleur du sel is the large crystals of salt harvested from the top of salt evaporation pans in France, before the small, finer salt sinks to the bottom. It’s not cheap, but you can use a good pinch of flaked sea salt as an alternative.

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