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Vanilla ice cream is the blank canvas of the frozen dessert world. I think it is important for any adventurous cook to have a quality, go-to homemade version. It is the perfect accompaniment to just about any dessert and can be dressed up in a variety of ways, like with a drizzle of Chocolate Syrup, for example. As I have discussed before, I add a small amount of liqueur or alcohol to the frozen base of most of my ice creams and sorbets to prevent them from freezing rock hard. This recipe takes this step one step further. Light corn syrup is cooked with the custard. The combination of vodka (vanilla flavor is nice if you have it on hand) and corn syrup creates the ultimate creamy ice cream texture.
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Equipment
- Ice cream container
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
- 2 cups heavy cream, divided
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 6 extra large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon vodka
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 cup of heavy cream, milk, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and the bean to the warm milk mixture. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for for 30 minutes.
- Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a large bowl and set a fine mesh strainer over the bowl. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper the yolks, then scrape the tempered yolks back into the saucepan.
- Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the fine-mesh strainer and stir in the cream. Return the vanilla bean to the custard, add the vanilla extract and vodka, and stir until cool over an ice bath.
- Chill the custard thoroughly, preferably overnight, in the refrigerator. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean and freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Such a pretty cup of ice cream!