From the renowned French chef comes a classic recipe for vanilla ice cream, to be enjoyed with a glass of Marsala and a chocolate soufflé.
The dessert
Vanilla ice cream has always been the quintessential ice cream: in reality, it is a custard-based ice cream where the spice is used to add fragrance and balance the richness of the egg. Ducasse's sublime Interpretation: the great French chef has become passionate about gelato, to the point of dedicating a manufacturing process to the dessert that comes from the freezer, led by the Italian Matteo Casone in Paris.
Here, the ingredients take center stage: the spice, wildflower honey, milk, cream, and eggs. Under the sign of "naturalité", which the cold helps preserve and enhance. There is also a variation called "three vanillas," resembling chocolate, where the varieties are treated differently to emphasize their respective profiles: the spiciness of Indonesia, the finesse of Uganda, and the floral sweetness of Tahiti.
The advice is to save the precious egg whites, rich in noble proteins, for another preparation like meringues or even a chocolate soufflé, to be served with a quenelle of ice cream in chaud-froid. In the glass, or rather in the small glass, Marco Matta, sommelier from Verso, with a past alongside Enrico Bartolini and Giancarlo Perbellini, pours a Marsala Altogrado, a classic match for eggs, or a mead. The first is dry, fresh, and savory for contrast; the second to complement the honey’s aromas.
Alain Ducasse's Vanilla and Honey Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
300 ml semi-skimmed milk
50 g crème fraîche
2 vanilla pods
6 egg yolks
70 g wildflower honey
Directions
First, prepare the custard. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the cream. Whisk together. Split the vanilla pods lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a knife. Incorporate the pods and seeds into the mixture. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until it reaches boiling point.
Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks from the whites, set aside the whites for another preparation. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the honey until the mixture becomes frothy. Carefully pour the hot milk into the bowl, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Mix well and pour everything back into the saucepan. Prepare a large bowl filled with water and ice cubes.
Place the saucepan back on the heat and cook the custard, stirring, until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, strain the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl, and place it over the ice to cool quickly. Put the ice cream maker container in the freezer for 20 minutes before churning.
Remove the vanilla pods. Churn the ice cream in the ice cream maker. Store in the freezer until ready to serve, removing it 15 minutes ahead of time to simplify the handling.
Cover photo: Pierre Monetta
La Glace Alain Ducasse
38 Rue de la Roquette, 75011 Paris, France
