Blackcurrant Ice Cream

5 from 3 votes

This blackcurrant ice cream is a flavourful, creamy custard-based ice cream with the rich and tangy taste of tart blackcurrants. It's what hot summer days cry out for.

Prep Time30

Churning time20

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings:

Calories: 401kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

For the Blackcurrant Puree

400 g Blackcurrants fresh or frozen
100 g White sugar
1 tablespoon Lemon juice

For the Custard Base

5 Egg yolks large, free range
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
100 g Caster sugar
350 ml Whole milk (full-fat)
250 ml Double cream (heavy cream)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make the Blackcurrant Puree

Put the blackcurrants, sugar and lemon juice into a medium-sized saucepan. Cook everything over a gentle heat to dissolve the sugar
Once the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat and let boil for 5-10 minutes until the fruit forms a thick sauce (when a wooden spoon is dragged through the sauce the bottom of the pan should be visible for 1-2 seconds before falling back in on itself
Allow to cool, then pass through a sieve suspended over a bowl. Use a metal spoon to crush and push the fruit through the sieve. Keep on turning and pushing until a thick residue of pulp remains in the sieve but very little liquid. Discard the pulp
Use the spoon to wipe the purée clinging to the back of the sieve into the bowl. Give the contents of the bowl a good stir - it will look like a thick syrup. Cover and refrigerate

Make the Custard Base

Put the milk into a medium-sized pan (heavy based) over a medium heat and warm through
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugars and vanilla extract in a medium bowl for 2-3 minutes until thick and pale
Pour the warm milk onto the yolks, whisking continuously
Pour the custard mix back into the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon
Take off the heat. Pour the custard into a bowl or jug, cover with clingfilm (to stop a skin forming) and cool.
Once cold, transfer to the fridge to chill overnight (or for at least 4 hours)

Churning Using An Ice Cream Maker

When ready to churn remove the clingfilm from the custard, pour in the cream and blackcurrant purée and stir until thoroughly combined
Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions
Once fully churned either serve straight away (soft-set) or transfer to a freezer-proof container, cover with parchment and freeze for several hours until firm

Making the Ice Cream by Hand

Remove the clingfilm from the custard, pour in the cream and blackcurrant purée and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour this mixture into a large freezer-proof bowl, cover and put it in the freezer for 1-1 ½ hours. Aft this time the sides should be beginning to freeze, but the centre will be soft and slushy
Remove from the freezer and, working quickly, use electric beaters to beat the ice cream until the ice crystals are uniform. Cover and place back in the freezer
Repeat this process 6-8 more times at 1-hour intervals - the better the texture will be the more the process is repeated
Once fully churned either serve straight away or transfer to a freezer-proof container, cover with parchment and freeze for several hours until firm

Notes

If using an ice cream maker that requires the bowl to be frozen prior to churning ensure it is fully frozen. I leave mine in the freezer for at least 24 hours
Also, ensure the fruit puree and custard base are both sufficiently chilled (minimum 4 hours but preferably overnight) - adding warm/ room temperature mixtures to the churner will reduce the machine's ability to freeze the mixture
If churning by hand it's best to make the puree and custard, let them chill overnight then start the churning process the next morning. This leaves plenty of time to fit in 6-8 churns with electric beaters. Set a timer between each churn to ensure it is not left too long (it will set too hard if it is)
Put the container that you intend to store this blackcurrant ice cream in into the freezer before churning begins. It helps to keep the freshly churned ice cream in top condition
Cover the top with parchment before transferring to the freezer to help stop ice crystals from forming in the top
Ice cream sometimes needs to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before it can be scooped. Always check how firm the set is when you take your ice cream out of the freezer (dig a spoon in) and use your own judgment as to whether it needs to sit for a few minutes to soften before serving
Eat within 2 weeks to enjoy this iced treat at its prime. It's still edible after this time but the flavour may begin to deteriorate

Troubleshooting

Can I use different fruit in this recipe?

Blackcurrants are notoriously tart and require ample sugar to turn them into an edible delight. For this reason, substituting an alternative fruit is not recommended - few fruits need quite so much sugar as blackcurrants do to make them enjoyable

Can I add uncooked blackcurrants to this ice cream?

Again, since blackcurrants are much tastier once their tartness has been tempered with sugar I do not recommend stirring uncooked fruit through this ice cream

My ice cream won't freeze

Several issues could be the problem here. Either the churner bowl was not sufficiently frozen at the time the ingredients were added or the custard and puree were insufficiently chilled at the time they were added to the bowl. I'd suggest transferring the mixture back to the fridge and refreezing the ice-cream churner bowl, then trying again 24 hours later.

Why is my ice cream is icy?

Large ice crystals are to blame for an icy texture. The most likely reason for this problem in this recipe is that the fruit puree was insufficiently cooked. Ensure that the blackcurrants are cooked until they are thick and jammy, by which time a lot of liquid has evaporated from the puree.

Can I pour everything into a container and freeze without churning?

I'm afraid not. This will result in a rock-solid lump of ice cream with a very unpleasant texture. This is not a no-churn ice cream recipe.

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