Vanilla and Honeycomb Ice Cream

This was not what it was supposed to be.  It wasn't meant to be vanilla.  It was actually meant to be butter caramel.  Problem was that I completely failed at making caramel.  I think my frying pans were a bit too small to handle the amount of sugar so it didn't all caramelise before the rest started to burn.  Not nice.  I attempted it twice and then gave up because I didn't want to waste more sugar.  But I'd bought the Maltesers and cream and didn't want to not make ice cream.  So vanilla it was.  And it's pretty good.  And unlike ice cream I've made before it didn't go rock hard in the freezer so could be dished up right way.  So that was a plus.

The recipe is based on a Gizzi Erskine recipe that showed up in my emails.  Obviously I made some adaptations because, like I said, it was originally caramel and butter.

Recipe - makes about 1 litre of ice cream

• 150g/5.25oz caster sugar
• 250ml/8.8fl.oz double cream
• 125ml/4.3fl.oz skimmed milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 2 x 37g packets of Maltesers (or 2 Crunchie bars)

1. Put the sugar in a bowl and add the vanilla extract.  Mix together to coat all the sugar and leave to infuse.
2. Add the salt to the egg yolks and whisk together.
3. Heat the milk and half the cream in a saucepan until it just starts to boil.
4. Add to the egg yolks and mix well.
5. Pour back into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring all the time until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.  Leave it too long and it will start to turn to scrambled eggs.
6. Put back into a bowl and leave to cool on the worktop with clingfilm over the top for about 2 hours.
7. After it has cooled, add the rest of the cream as well as the vanilla sugar and mix well.
8. Put into the ice cream maker and mix for 20 minutes.
9. Crush the Maltesers (or Crunchy bars) and add to the ice cream whilst it is still mixing.
10. Leave it to mix for another half and hour then transfer to a tub.
11. Put in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.