How to Make Tonka Bean Ice Cream

Yields:  1 ½ quarts

Preparation time: overnight

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Tonka Bean Ice Cream:

For the ice cream:

• 1 quart half and half
• 2 small tonka bean
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks

For the scotch caramel:

• ½ vanilla bean, seeds scrapped out
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup scotch
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp water

Cooking instructions for Tonka Bean Ice Cream:

• To make the ice-cream base, pour the half and half in a saucepan and whisk in the sugar until well mixed.
• Grate the tonka bean into the sweetened cream and fold it into the mixture until well combined.
• Cook the mixture over moderate heat until it starts simmering, stirring periodically, until the sugar dissolves completely.
• Turn off the heat and set aside for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse into the mixture.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl until they form a smooth, pale mixture.
• Drizzle the above mixture gradually while beating it into the egg yolks until all of it is incorporated into the mixture and tip it back into the saucepan.
• Cook it over moderately low flame while stirring it relentlessly, until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
• Turn off the heat and pour it into the fish mesh sieve to strain it into a lidded container.
• Cover and freeze overnight or until set.
• To make the caramel, cook a mixture of water, sugar and a dash of salt in a saucepan over moderately high heat until it starts boiling.
• Keep a watch on the mixture while stirring it constantly, until it starts forming a dark brown caramel and turn off the heat.
• Let it rest for a while until it darkens further and pour in the scotch gradually while whisking it into the caramel, until all of it is used up; be careful as the caramel will start spluttering.
• Incorporate the cream similarly once the crackling seizes and reheat it over slow flame.
• Cook for several minutes, stirring often, until the caramel melts and let it rest until it cools down.
• Leave in the fridge to chill along with the ice cream.
• To churn the ice cream, scrape its frozen base into the ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the ice crystals in it breaks down.
• Spread a thin layer of the creamy, churned ice cream over a metal container and drizzle some of the prepared scotch caramel over it.
• Repeat the layers of ice cream and caramel until of them are used up and leave in the fridge for an hour, covered, until it is set.
• Scoop it out into serving bowls and serve chilled.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons