Tonka Bean Ice Cream Recipe
by Nicola Lando
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10 minutes prep time
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30 minutes cook time
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Easy
Tropical coconut and vanilla, rich almond warmth, and a hint of sour cherry — you'd be forgiven for thinking this tonka bean ice cream recipe has many different ingredients. Yet the numerous flavours are all from a small grating of tonka bean.
In summer, the tonka bean ice cream pairs beautifully with a bright crimson summer pudding or griddled peach. And in winter the tonka bean's almond and hazelnut notes are a great match for the cinnamon warmth of apple pie.
Ingredients Serves: 6
- 100g caster sugar
- 3g ice cream stabiliser (optional)
- 4 egg yolks
- 375ml milk
- 1 to 2 tonka beans, finely grated
- 125ml double cream
- Pinch of salt
Method
- Mix together the ice cream stabilizer and sugar. Add the egg yolks and whisk until pale and fluffy.
- Heat the milk together with one grated tonka bean until just boiling. Leave to cool briefly, and then slowly pour over the sugar and egg yolk mixture, with the whisk still running. Pouring slowly is important so the eggs don't overheat and scramble.
- Return the egg yolk, sugar, and milk mixture back to the pan, and heat gently whilst stirring until the temperature reaches around 70°C, or the liquid coats the back of spoon. Remove from heat, and gently stir in the cream and a pinch or two of salt. Taste and add a more grated tonka bean if desired.
- Leave to cool, and then refrigerate until cold. Churn in an ice-cream maker, or freeze, stirring every hour for until it solidifies - around 4-6 hours.
About the author
Nicola Lando is the co-founder and CEO of Sous Chef, where she has spent more than a decade sourcing, tasting and selecting specialist ingredients, cookware and tableware from producers around the world.
She trained at Leiths and later completed a stage at a Michelin-starred London restaurant, experiences that helped shape Sous Chef’s original mission: to give home cooks access to the same exceptional ingredients used by professional chefs.
Today, Nicola leads much of Sous Chef’s product sourcing and ingredient selection, working directly with producers and travelling internationally to food fairs, farms, mills and manufacturers. She tastes thousands of products each year and has built deep expertise across storecupboard ingredients, olive oil, condiments, spices, preserved foods and specialist cooking ingredients.
She holds an olive oil sommelier certification from ESAO in Spain, Imperial Executive Education’s Certificate in Nutrition for Health: Evidence-Based Tools and Strategies certificate; as well as studying Food Safety and Control at University of Greenwich.
Nicola also writes recipes and ingredient guides for Sous Chef, combining practical cooking experience with first-hand knowledge from producers, suppliers and specialist food makers. Her work focuses on helping cooks understand how to choose better ingredients, use them well, and get more flavour from their cooking.
