Vanilla bean ice cream

TIME1 hour MAKES1L PORTION
0.5x 1x 2x 3x

A rich, custard-base vanilla ice cream. Feel free to swap out the vanilla pod for other aromatics or flavourings during the steeping step. I’ve done this with toast (toast ice cream), doughnuts, and more.

For more ice cream variations, see butterscotch ice cream, blue moon ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

  • 250ml whole milk
  • 250ml heavy cream
  • 250ml double cream1
  • 150g sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 5 large egg yolks2
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • A pinch of salt

STEPS

  1. Add the sugar, milk, and a pinch of salt to the saucepan. Using a paring knife scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod into the milk mixture, and add the pod as well. Warm the mixture on medium heat. Once warm, turn off the stove, and cover and steep for at least an hour, or until you are satisfied with the flavor.

  2. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

  3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

  4. Strain the custard into a bowl with the heavy cream. Stir until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

  5. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

NOTES

  1. Double cream is easy to get in Australia — it is about 48% milk fat. When I’m in Canada, I usually just replace this with heavy cream. The difference is not too noticeable; without the double cream, the texture is slightly less smooth/more icy, but the flavour is better and it coats the tongue less. ↩︎
  2. Up to three additional egg yolks can be added to make the custard richer. ↩︎

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