Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
¾ cup white sugar
2 cups Whipping cream
¼ tsp salt
1 vanilla bean
4 egg yolks
Place a 3-quart sauce pan over medium/low heat - add sugar, heavy cream, milk and salt and heat, stirring continuously until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a near boil, then remove from heat.
Split the vanilla bean, press open the scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean.
Add the seeds to the hot cream mixture along with the bean pod. Stir well, then let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove bean pod once the time has elapsed.
Remove 1 cup of cream mixture from pot and slowly drizzle into the beaten eggs, whisking constantly as you do (this is called tempering the egg yolks).
When completed, slowly pour the tempered egg/cream mixture back into the remaining cream mixture in the saucepan, whisking constantly.
Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula until the mixture thickens (180? F). If a spoon is placed into the mixture (now a custard) and then removed, run your finger across the back of the spoon and the line it makes in the custard should not run.
Pour the finished mixture through a fine-mesh colander placed over a medium size bowl.
Stir in the vanilla extract, then place the bowl in an ice bath until the mixture is cool. Ensure no water gets into the cooling custard.
Pour cooled mixture into a container and cover with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until completely chilled, 4 hours or overnight.
When custard is completely chilled freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. However, regardless of your machine, the volume of finished product should be at least 20% larger than when you poured the custard into the ice cream maker to indicate it is ready (see bottom picture below).
Place ice cream into the freezer for an hour or longer to have it tighten up. Most home use machines complete it to a very soft serve consistency and it needs a bit more freeze before serving.
Eat it as is or serve with whatever you like; berries, chocolate syrup or my favourite - hot fudge sauce (see recipe in the next posting).
Snowy Palms Resort