200g (7oz.) Caster Sugar
150ml (5 oz.) Water
6 Egg Yolks (Free Range of course)
1 ½ Cinnamon Sticks (or 3 teaspoons of FRESH ground Cinnamon)
250 ml (9 oz.) Cream
250 g (9 oz.) Crème Fraiche
You need a small but solid pot to make the syrup.
Put the sugar and water on to boil in this and simmer for about 5 mts.
(You want to bring it to 230 F on a sugar thermometer.)
Beat the egg yolks together well in a non plastic bowl.
Now the next bit requires great attention and care to avoid burns.
While still beating pour the very hot syrup on to the egg yolks.
Once that is done you continue to beat the mixture until it cools.
It will thicken and turn paler.
(This is the moment when a stand alone beater would come into its own, because it takes about 10 mts of patient standing to achieve this. I should know as I don’t have a stand alone one any more either)
Now you can have ready the cinnamon.
Don’t think that the grey ground cinnamon which has been in the back of the cupboard since the last time you made a Christmas cake will do for this. Throw this out. Either open a fresh jar for the occasion or break up a stick and a half and grind them to a powder in a coffee grinder.
(Sticks of cinnamon will keep their flavour for a lot longer than ground.
As a bonus you will have a subtle cinnamon flavour from your coffee for a few weeks because no matter how hard you try the flavour will linger in the grinder)
Once the egg mixture is cool beat the cream and the cinnamon together . Start by beating the ordinary cream with the cinnamon and then, once it is stiff , beat in the Crème Fraiche until you have a uniform stiff mixture.
Fold the egg mousse into the cream using light movements and with a large spoon. You do not want to get rid of the trapped air which is what keeps the ice cream from setting into a brick.
Now pour the mixture into a container which has a good lid and freeze overnight.
Take it out of the freezer and into the fridge for a half hour before you serve it.
This is particularly good with any apple tart but its finest moment is when it is partnered with the traditional French tart of Caramelised Apple ;
Tarte de Demoiselle Tatin. (That is there, on my recipes section, under desserts too)
