Rum and raisin ice cream

Rum and raisin ice cream is a classic dessert for adults — the famous rum & raisin ice cream. Made the traditional way with egg yolks, it combines a rich custard base with raisins that have been soaked overnight in dark rum. For the best flavour, choose relatively dry raisins rather than plump, juicy ones, as they absorb more of the rum. Highly recommended!

Makes approximately 1 litre of ice cream.

Ingredients for the rum and raisin ice cream:

• 300 ml whole milk
• 350 ml double cream
• 3 egg yolks, from large eggs
• 70 g caster sugar
• 80 ml dark rum
• ¾ cup raisins (preferably dry rather than juicy)

The night before place the raisins in a bowl and pour over the rum. Cover and refrigerate overnight, allowing the raisins to absorb the alcohol.

Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, stir together and bring just to the boil. Meanwhile, place the egg yolks and sugar into the bowl of a mixer and whisk until pale, thick and fluffy. Gradually add half of the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan containing the remaining milk and cream. Cook gently over low heat, stirring constantly with a spoon, until the custard thickens slightly and lightly coats the back of the spoon. Remove immediately from the heat before it boils, otherwise the custard may curdle. Leave to cool, cover the surface directly with cling film and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Using an ice cream maker:

Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Towards the end of churning, add the rum-soaked raisins together with any remaining rum. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze for several hours until firm.

Without an ice cream maker:

Whisk the chilled custard briefly, pour it into a freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer. For the first 3 hours, remove the mixture every 30 minutes and whisk or blend thoroughly to break up any ice crystals and create a smooth, airy texture. Once the ice cream has thickened, stir in the rum-soaked raisins and any remaining rum. Freeze until fully set.

Enjoy!