Almond ice cream

Method

1. Heat the oven to 170°C/fan150°C/gas 3½. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on them, until lightly golden brown. Put the cream, milk and vanilla pod and seeds into a medium heavy-based saucepan, then add half the sugar and the toasted almonds. Heat over a low heat, stirring occasionally until steaming, then take off the heat and set aside for 30 minutes for the almonds to infuse.
2. Put the egg yolks into a bowl with the remaining sugar and beat with an electric hand mixer for about 2 minutes until the mixture has thickened, gone pale and falls in a ribbon when you lift the beaters. Using a measuring jug, scoop out about 125ml of the cream mixture and beat into the egg yolks.
3. Reheat the cream until steaming again, take off the heat, then stir into the egg yolk mixture. Return the pan to a low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 10-15 minutes until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be careful it doesn’t boil or it can split. Strain the custard into a heatproof bowl (see tips), then sit in a roasting tin of iced water for around 20 minutes, until cool. Stir it now and then to prevent a skin forming.
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4. Once cool, churn in an ice cream machine until softly set, then transfer to the freezer for another 3-4 hours to set solidly (see tips). Serve with a bakewell tart, if you wish.