Buttermilk Ice cream

• 500g buttermilk
• 250ml cream (standard Irish cream or 'double cream' if not Irish cream
• 75g yolks (4 egg yolks)
• 150g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod or few drops vanilla essence
• 55g honey

 

The honey will help keep the ice cream soft enough to scoop after churning.

 

• Boil buttermilk, honey, sugar and vanilla pod (seeds and pod)
• Whisk yolks just enough to break and blend the yolks-you  don't whisk to a froth
• Pour half of the boiled cream onto the yolks, whisk briefly and return the mixture to the pot of hot milk.
• Reduce heat to low, and stir all the time.
• Check if the mixture is done by stirring with a wooden spoon, run your finger through the mixture that coats the back of the spoon-if the line you've drawn holds then the mixture is ready.
• Pass the mix through a sieve and pour in the cream.  If you were using a vanilla pod, return the split pod to the mixture.
• Place the mix in the fridge overnight-this will help the flavour to develop.
• The following day, remove the split vanilla pod, wash and dry this and put aside-it can cut into smaller lengths, dried and used as decoration.
• Churn the ice cream using an ice cream machine and freeze.