Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Homemade vanilla ice cream has been a tradition in my family for a long time. Ever since my mom was 16 years old, my dad has made my mom vanilla ice cream for her birthday. So, in honor of my mom’s birthday this week, I thought I would share a recipe for vanilla ice cream. If you have never used vanilla bean before, make sure you try it out. The little specks of vanilla give a great flavor. According to Bon Appétit, there are over 250,000 seeds inside the average vanilla bean! How cool is that?!

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream | www.universityfoodie.com

Yield: 5 cups

Ingredients

2 cups milk
1 cup cream
1 vanilla bean
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Using a mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes thick and pale yellow in color.
Combine the milk, cream, vanilla bean and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. To extract the vanilla bean seeds, slit the bean open lengthwise with the tip of a knife. Then, using the knife or a spoon, scrape the inside of the pod until all of the seeds are removed. Place both the seeds and the empty pod into the milk mixture. Heat until just barely to a simmer.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly stream the milk mixture into the egg yolks, until all of the milk is added.
Return the mixture to the stove. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened (approximately 5 minutes). Be careful not to boil the mixture! If the mixture gets too hot, you will have to start over.
Pour the mixture through a sieve and into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour, but preferably over night.
Transfer the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Notes

Adapted from Williams Sonoma

http://www.universityfoodie.com/2013/06/17/vanilla-bean-ice-cream/

About the Author

Rachel Budke Rachel is a senior at Kansas State University, where she is studying Bakery Science. In the fall of 2013 she studied abroad in Florence, Italy. She loves cooking, photography and DIY projects.