Ice cream is a cream- or custard-based frozen dessert. It is thought to have originated in Italy in the 1600s and to have been made popular through the French court. The simplest ice cream recipes are based on cream, sugar and crushed or puréed fruit. Custard-based ice creams have a more unctuous texture than those made from pure cream. The cream can be infused with a flavouring, such as vanilla or cinnamon, or mixed with a fruit purée before it's churned and frozen.
When making the simplest of ice creams, allowing for three parts sugar to seven parts double cream and fruit purée will mean the mixture won’t even have to be churned in an ice cream maker (although the texture will be better if it is churned). Whisking the cream into soft peaks before folding in the fruit purée helps to add volume, while adding alcohol will give the finished ice cream a softer texture. Allow about 50ml/1¾fl oz alcohol to 500ml/17½fl oz liquid ice cream.
