I LOVE this recipe for vanilla ice cream! Although I discovered it at the end of the summer, I had made my first batch right before the last heat wave hit. Needless to say, I was one of the few NOT complained about the heat ❤ oh the magic of home-made ice cream.
Vanilla Ice Cream (excerpt from http://www.davidlebovitz.com) About 1 quart (1l) Adapted from The Perfect Scoop (Ten Speed Press) For a richer custard, you can add up to 3 more egg yolks. For a less-rich custard, substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream, realizing that the final texture won’t be as rich or as smooth as if using cream. 1 cup (250ml) whole milk A pinch of salt 3/4 cup (150g) sugar 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 2 cups (500ml) heavy cream 5 large egg yolks 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour. 2. To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2l) bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl. 3. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan. 4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. 5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight. 6. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Being unable to find the ice cream machine buried amidst the debris in the garage, I followed Lebovitz’ instructions on how to make ice cream – without an ice cream machine. It’s perhaps a little more labor intensive, but just as delicious.
And if you don’t have any vanilla beans on hand, no worries. It’s perfectly understandable – those things are outrageously pricey! Not at all suited for a student’s budget, such as mine. So just do as I did, I substituted 1 teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract (not that imitation stuff) per vanilla bean, and just skip the infusion step. I just love vanilla, so I always add a few more teaspoons… O:)
NOTE! be sure to cook your custard thoroughly! It needs to reach a temperature of at least 160F to kill any Salmonella bacteria that may have sneaked in.
Later!~
The Rambling Student 