How to Make Rooibos & Vanilla Ice Cream
By Poco Gelato
Serves 6
Poco Gelato are a family-run business serving up some of the finest soft-scoop ice cream this side of Naples. After growing up in Rossi’s Ice Cream in Southend-on-Sea, and then running their own Italian restaurants, Joe and Lucy decided to open Poco Gelato in Leigh-on-sea in 2012. In 2020 the team closed their Ice Cream shop but you can still find their delicious creations across the country in some of the UK's best cafes and restaurants.
After the success of the Good & Proper Tea X Poco Gelato collaboration in our Leather Lane Tea Bar many years back, we got the taste for ice cream. Obviously the full recipe for Poco’s delicious ice cream is top secret, but Joe kindly offered us this simplified how-to so you can try your own at home.
What you need
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260ml whole milk
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140g caster sugar
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450ml double cream
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7 egg yolks
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Pinch of salt
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1 vanilla pod - cut in half lengthwise (keep the seeds and pod separate)
Method
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In a heavy bottomed saucepan, gently warm the milk, sugar, salt, vanilla seeds, tea and half of the cream whilst stirring. Turn off the heat before the mixture comes to the boil and cover with a lid for half an hour to allow the flavours to steep.
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Pour the rest of the cream into a large bowl.
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In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks before pouring the warm mix into the eggs whilst whisking briskly. Return the mix to the saucepan.
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With the saucepan on a slow heat, stir constantly until it begins to thicken. Keep stirring, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot so that the mixture cooks evenly and the bottom doesn’t scorch. This bit takes a while so be patient and keep the temperature low so that the mixture doesn’t curdle.
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Test the mix by getting it to coat your spoon/spatula - at this point, take it off the heat and slowly pour through a sieve into the bowl of cream.
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Place the de-seeded vanilla pod in with the mix and stir over an ice bath. Once the mixture is cool, place in the fridge and chill for a few hours.
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When you’re ready to churn, take out the ice cream mixture, remove the vanilla pod and churn according to the manufacturer’s advice.
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Store in the freezer and enjoy.