Parks Canada Heritage Gourmet Recipes

Vanilla Ice Cream

A simple way to make delicious ice cream

Origin: L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish National Historic Site
Region: Atlantic (Prince Edward Island)
Period: 20^th Century - present
Course: Desserts and Baked Goods

Photo of Lucy Maude Montgomery
© Parks Canada

Green Gables House is famous around the world as the inspiration for the setting of Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel, Anne of Green Gables. L. M. Montgomery, pictured above, has her most beloved character, red-haired orphan Anne Shirley, describe her first taste of ice cream as “sublime.”

Ice cream is as popular with people of all ages now as it was in Montgomery’s time, and Parks Canada staff use this recipe to make old fashioned vanilla ice cream on-site. Visitors love helping to make this yummy treat and are even happier when they can get a taste!

Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 6 cups | 1.4 litres light cream
• 1 cup | 250 ml sugar
• 1½ tsp | 7.5 ml vanilla extract or a 3-inch piece of vanilla bean
• pinch of salt

Directions:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream until almost boiling. Remove from heat and add the sugar; stir until dissolved. Allow to cool, then scrape the seeds from inside the vanilla bean and add to the cream with the salt. Stir again. Chill the mixture.
• Pour into a hand cranked (or electric) ice cream maker and stir until very stiff. Leave in the freezer to ripen a few hours before serving.

Credits:

Recipe tested by Chef David Fairbanks, Algonquin College School of Hospitality and Tourism

Parks Canada staff use this recipe to make old fashioned vanilla ice cream on-site.