Pomegranate ice-cream

(LISA BARBER)

I love ice-cream all year round, not just during summer. I have made the custard base here simply with milk, rather than a combination of milk and cream; the end result is lighter, cleaner and more refreshing – almost Middle Eastern in flavour.

For the custard base

1 litre/1¾ pints whole milk
1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise
120g/4oz caster sugar
6 egg yolks
3 tsp rose water
The seeds of 1 pomegranate

Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the vanilla pod and place over a medium heat. Bring the milk to a simmer then turn off the heat and allow the vanilla flavour to infuse the milk for 20 minutes.

In a separate bowl, pour in the sugar and egg yolks and whisk together until pale. Now remove the vanilla pod from the milk and pour over the eggs. Pour into a clean pan and place over the lowest heat possible. Stir using a wooden spoon in a figure-of-eight movement until the custard thickens enough to leave a ribbon trail on the back of the spoon – be patient: this can take up to 10 minutes.

As soon as the custard has thickened, remove from the heat and pour through a colander into a clean bowl. Once this base has cooled to room temperature, pour into an ice-cream maker and churn following the manufacturer's instruction.

When the ice-cream has just set, remove from the machine and stir in the pomegranate and rose water. Place in the freezer until you are ready to use. It is best to eat this ice-cream on the day of making.

If you don't have an ice-cream maker, pour the mixture into a Tupperware box and place directly into the freezer, stirring every 20 minutes or so until the ice-cream has set. The stirring is important as it helps to disperse the ice particles and makes the ice-cream smooth.