Vanilla Ice Cream

Directions

1. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar with a hand-held mixer for 1 minute.
2. In a saucepan, heat the milk and 3/4 of the cream just to the boiling point.
3. Pour the hot liquid into the egg-sugar mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs.
4. Transfer the mixture to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
5. Pour immediately into a clean bowl and whisk in the rest of the cream.
6. Pour the mixture into a 20 cm (8 in) square pan and place in the freezer. Stir the mixture every 20 minutes with a fork or a whisk, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides well to prevent crystals from forming. Use a timer if necessary.
7. For strawberry ice cream, this is the time add 250 ml (1 cup) of fresh strawberries, mashed with a fork.
8. When the ice cream is firm but not too hard, transfer it to a plastic container with a good lid, seal well and store in the freezer overnight.