Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1.5 cups liquid sugar (equivalent to 2 cups of granulated sugar)
  • 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped (or 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract)
  • 12 large egg yolks

Instructions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, and half of the liquid sugar. Heat over medium heat until it begins to steam but not boil.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining liquid sugar until well combined and slightly thickened.
  3. Gradually pour about 2 cups of the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. This will temper the yolks and prevent them from scrambling.
  4. Then pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture and heat over medium-low, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
  5. Remove from heat and add the scraped vanilla beans or vanilla extract, stirring to combine.
  6. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the ice cream base to prevent a skin from forming.
  7. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to let the mixture cool completely.
  8. Once the mixture is chilled, churn it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. It should take about 20-25 minutes to churn to a soft-serve consistency.