French vanilla ice cream

Makes about 1 1/4 quarts, or 8 servings

This is your classic vanilla ice cream, with a clean vanilla flavor and those signature flecks from the seeds of a fresh vanilla bean. If you can't find vanilla beans, vanilla paste is your best substitute.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole or low-fat milk
  • 2 cups sugar, divided use
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 6 large egg yolks

Directions

  1. Prepare an ice bath. Combine the cream, milk, 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, and the vanilla bean in a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.
  2. Whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl until thick and pale one-third of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a spoon (about 180°F). Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Set it in the ice bath. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the custard. Stir the custard every few minutes until cool.
  3. Refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours or up to overnight before freezing in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pack the ice cream in containers and let ripen in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

CIA FOODIES

French Vanilla Ice Cream

French vanilla ice cream
Makes about 1 1/4 quarts, or 8 servings This is your classic vanilla ice cream, with a clean vanilla flavor and those signature flecks from the seeds of a fresh vanilla bean. If you can't find vanilla beans, vanilla paste is your best substitute.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole or low-fat milk
  • 2 cups sugar, divided use
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 6 large egg yolks

Directions

  1. Prepare an ice bath. Combine the cream, milk, 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, and the vanilla bean in a heavy nonreactive saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.
  2. Whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl until thick and pale one-third of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a spoon (about 180°F). Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Set it in the ice bath. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the custard. Stir the custard every few minutes until cool.
  3. Refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours or up to overnight before freezing in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pack the ice cream in containers and let ripen in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Copyright © 2024 The Culinary Institute of America