Vanilla Bean Ice Cream {French Style}

Homemade ice cream is so amazing!  Up until I bought my ice cream maker I had only had homemade ice cream a few times in my life. I really wanted to get my own so I could come up with my own ice cream varieties and have fun with my family making ice cream!  I had no idea where to start though. Thank goodness for my friend Emily showing me the way!  A while ago I was checking out her post on Lemon Ice Cream with Very Berry Swirl (doesn't that sound amazing!?) and I asked her what type of ice cream maker she had. She recommended the Cuisine Art Ice Cream maker. It's affordable and doesn't require ice or salt! I love that. So for all of you wanting to start having fun making your own ice cream I recommend this ice cream maker or this one.


And then of course you need recipes!  I highly recommend The Perfect Scoop, which most people refer to as the ice cream bible!  I also love Ben and Jerry's and Making Artisan Gelato.  Or you can always google recipes you are looking for. I will be posting some recipes as well. I've made quite a few things to far I just haven't gotten around to sharing anything yet.

Of all the fun creations and different types of ice cream I've made so far this basic vanilla ice cream is my favorite!  It is French style meaning it has a custard base with cooked eggs which gives it a rich and creamy texture.  This recipe calls for vanilla beans. I use vanilla bean paste because it is much more affordable. 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste = 1 vanilla bean. If you don't have either you can substitute 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract.  Let me know if you have any ice cream questions. It's so fun having your own ice cream maker!

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream {French Style}

Recipe barely adapted from The PerfectScoop

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk

¾ cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream, divided

Pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste)

6 large egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup of the cream, and the salt in a medium saucepan.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the warm milk and add the bean as well.  (If using vanilla bean paste, add the paste at this point.) Heat over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is warmed through.  Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pour the remaining 1 cup cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.  Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the spatula (about 170 ˚ -175 ˚ F). (This takes about 10-13 minutes.)  Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream.  Put the vanilla bean into the custard, add the vanilla extract, and stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.  When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

(Note: I don’t have a mesh strainer and skipped that step and it turned out just fine.)