VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH DATE AND STRAWBERRY SPHERES

Ingredients:

For the vanilla ice cream:

• 500 ml of milk cream
• 250 ml whole milk
• 150g sugar
• 1 vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
• 5 egg yolks

Spheres:

• date spheres
• strawberry spheres

Instructions:

1. Mix the heavy cream, whole milk and half of the sugar in a saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add them to the saucepan along with the pod.
2. Heat the mixture over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
3. Then, remove it from the heat and let it sit for 30 minutes to infuse.
4. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar until pale and thick.
5. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk mixture and slowly pour over the beaten egg yolks, stirring continuously.
6. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
7. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool completely. Then refrigerate until very cold.
8. To make the ice cream without a machine: Pour the cold mixture into a metal baking pan and place it in the freezer. Every 30-45 minutes, take it out and stir vigorously with a fork to break up the ice crystals. Repeat this process until the ice cream is creamy and frozen.
9. Serve the ice cream in bowls or plates, and decorate with date and strawberry spheres. You can add mint leaves to decorate.