Rich and Creamy Vanilla (Printable Version)
A rich frozen dessert made with fresh cream and vanilla, perfect for cooling down on warm days.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Base
01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 1 cup whole milk
03 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - Pinch of salt
→ Flavor
05 - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
→ Enrichment
06 - 5 large egg yolks
# Directions:
01 - In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar, and salt. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and the sugar has fully dissolved. Do not allow the mixture to boil.
02 - In a separate mixing bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks until they are smooth and slightly pale in color.
03 - Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the whisked egg yolks, whisking constantly to gradually raise the temperature of the yolks without scrambling them.
04 - Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream. Stir continuously over medium-low heat until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, reaching an internal temperature of 170–175°F.
05 - Remove the saucepan from heat. Stir in the pure vanilla extract until evenly incorporated throughout the custard.
06 - Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits. Allow the custard to cool to room temperature, then cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
07 - Once the custard is thoroughly chilled, pour it into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until the mixture is thick, creamy, and has the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.
08 - Transfer the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe container, cover securely, and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the texture to firm up.
# Quick Tips:
01 -
- This custard base creates that dense, silky scoop shop texture that store bought pints can never quite replicate, no matter how premium the label claims to be.
- The recipe is endlessly forgiving once you understand the tempering step, and after that it becomes a canvas for whatever flavors you are craving that week.
02 -
- Tempering is the moment where everything can go wrong fast, so pour slowly and whisk aggressively, because one streak of scrambled yolk means starting over from scratch.
- An instant read thermometer removes all guesswork from the custard stage, so pull it off the heat between 170 and 175 degrees Fahrenheit and never a degree higher.
03 -
- The custard must be completely cold before churning, because even slightly warm liquid will melt the ice cream faster than the machine can freeze it and you will end up with soup.
- A tablespoon of vodka or corn syrup mixed in before churning keeps the final product softer and more scoopable straight from the freezer without affecting the flavor at all.