The creator of the Cronut shares his icecream secrets

Dominique Ansel's vanilla ice cream. Picture / Supplied.

You may not recognise the name Dominique Ansel, but you will surely have heard of the Cronut. The much-copied, trademarked croissant-doughnut hybrid is the New York pastry chef's claim to fame.

The owner of the Dominique Ansel Bakery is behind many other creations though, some of which he shares the recipes for, and the inspiration behind in his first book.

Dominique Ansel: Secret Recipes From the World Famous New York Bakery is released next Monday, February 2. Here, we share his vanilla icecream recipe - one of the book's easier creations.

VANILLA ICE CREAM

"I love making this recipe ... at the start of every summer so that I can eat other desserts a la mode throughout the season."

Skill Level: Beginner
Time: 2 hours
Yield: About 1 litre; 15 to 20 small scoops
Special Tools:
Instant-read thermometer
Medium sieve
Icecream machine

Ingredients
• 2¼ cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup pouring cream (35 per cent milk fat)
• 2 vanilla beans (preferably Tahitian) split lengthwise, seeds scraped
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 5 large egg yolks

1. Combine the milk, cream and vanilla pods and seeds in a medium saucepan. Start to warm the mixture over a low heat.

2. Whisk the sugar and egg yolks together in a medium bowl until fully combined.

3. When the milk mixture reaches 35C or feels just warm to the touch, remove from the heat. Stream one-third into the yolks, whisking constantly until fully blended, to temper the yolks. Whisk the tempered yolks into the remaining warm milk. Return the saucepan to low heat.

4. Whisking constantly, cook the icecream base over a low heat until it reaches 85C or feels very hot to the touch and becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. When a custard reaches this consistency, it's called nappe, which means "glazed" in French.

5. Remove from the heat. Strain the icecream base through a medium sieve into a 1-litre container.

6. Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Place the container of icecream base in the ice bath. Stir with a whisk every 10 minutes, until chilled. This stops the base from continuing to cook.

7. When the base has cooled, pour it into the icecream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.

8. When finished churning, transfer the icecream to an airtight container. Allow the icecream to harden in the freezer for at least 1 hour before serving.

Serving Instructions: I like my vanilla icecream plain or topped with Mini Me's [mini-meringues, another of Ansel's creations featured in his book].

Storage Instructions: Icecream can be kept in the freezer for up to one week.

• This is an edited extract from Dominique Ansel: Secret Recipes From the World Famous New York Bakery by Dominique Ansel. $49.99, Murdoch Books, distributed by Allen & Unwin. Released Monday, February 2.

- VIVA