VANILLA ICE CREAM

Makes about 1 quart
It always makes us happy when people get a scoop of our vanilla ice cream. Sure, it may not be quite as exciting as some of our other flavors, but to us vanilla is the true litmus test of a great ice cream maker. Vanilla gives you a pure sense of the quality of ingredients— not just of the vanilla itself, but also of the dairy products and eggs— as well as the skill of the ice cream maker. We use two kinds of vanilla in this recipe, both vanilla bean and pure extract, for an intense vanilla flavor. This ice cream is the ideal canvas for any type of mix-ins you want to use, from chopped nuts, cookies, or candies to swirled-in sauces. Or keep it simple and enjoy the pure floral vanilla flavor!

AT A GLANCE

TECHNIQUE: Ice cream

INFUSING AND SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Ice cream machine

CHILLING TIME: 30 minutes, plus 2 hours or overnight

SHELF LIFE: 1 week

INGREDIENTS:

• 1¾ cups heavy cream ¾ cup 1% or 2% milk ½ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 1 vanilla bean
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

INFUSE THE MILK/CREAM

1. In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, half of the sugar (¼ cup), and the salt. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and use the knife to carefully scrape the seeds from the bean. Add the seeds and the split bean to the pan.
2. Put the pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture just begins to bubble around the edges, remove from the heat, cover the pan, and let steep for about 30 minutes.

MAKE THE BASE

1. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks just to break them up, then whisk in the remaining      sugar (¼ cup) until smooth. Set aside.
2. Uncover the cream mixture and put the pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
3. Carefully scoop out about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture and, whisking the eggs constantly, add the cream to the bowl with the egg yolks. Repeat, adding another ½ cup of the hot cream to the bowl with the egg yolks. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the cream in the saucepan as you slowly pour the egg-and-cream mixture from the bowl into the pan.
4. Cook the mixture carefully over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened, coats the back of a spatula or wooden spoon, and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
5. Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. Set the container into an ice-water bath, wash your spatula, and stir occasionally until the base is cool. Remove from the ice-water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours or overnight.

FREEZE THE ICE CREAM

1. Add the vanilla extract to the base and stir until blended.
2. Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the ice cream is churning, put the container you’ll use to store the ice cream into the freezer. Enjoy right away or, for a firmer ice cream, transfer to the chilled container and freeze for at least 4 hours.

SERVE IT WITH …
• A scoop of Tangerine Granita