Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

It was debatable between Martha Stewart's or Alton Brown's recipe for this, about which method to use. Frankly, while the number of eggs I would have to sacrifice for a quart of delicious ice cream would be about the same, Alton Brown's would have had me hatch open a jar of peach preserves for two tablespoons of the stuff. The closest to preserves (not jam) that I have is peach marmalade which I picked up from Portland Nursery's apple tasting event last fall. While I am tempted to make the AB version, it wouldn't couple well with other uses of ice cream such as in rootbeer floats or ice cream sandwiches. And, the way June is looking at the moment (very cold and wet), it doesn't look like there'll be locally grown peaches at the farmer's markets any time soon.

Since I wasn't about to sacrifice two beans for this, I used one vanilla bean plus one tablespoon of vanilla extract. Also, refrigerating the "custard" overnight didn't seem to make the ice cream churn any faster in the ice cream maker. Leftover egg whites freeze really well and can be used later in other recipes.

Don't toss the vanilla bean pod parts after you finish making the cream base. Wash the bean pod clean and set aside to air dry. When the pod is completely dry, immerse it into honey or sugar to make vanilla honey or vanilla sugar.

Ingredients

1 vanilla bean
2 c. whole milk, chilled
6 egg yolks
3/4 c. organic granulated sugar
2 c. heavy cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Pour milk and cream into a heavy-bottomed pot. Split the vanilla bean down the middle and use a knife blade to scrape out the tiny black seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the milk/cream mixture. Bring to a boil then turn off heat and let the pod steep for 30 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until the yolks become thick and pale yellow.

3. Temper the egg mixture by gradually adding 1/4 cup of the hot cream and whisk to combine. Repeat until the cream mixture is thoroughly incorporated into the egg mixture. Whisking or beating with an electric mixer with a balloon whisk attachment.

4. Pour liquid back into the pot and heat until it thickens. When the liquid is able to coat the back of a spoon, turn off the heat and let cool on the stove.

5. Using a fine mesh sieve, pour the cream mixture into a container large enough to accommodate it all. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator until the liquid temperature is 40 degrees F, or chill overnight.

6. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.