Vanilla Ice Cream
Soft and creamy Vanilla ice cream
Vanilla ice cream guidelines
In general, the room for creativity in this ice cream is pretty small. When making the vanilla base, additions can add extra value of course, but the base remains the same. The idea is to make a custard with the cream, milk, and egg yolks — that's your base. The only thing you can affect is how rich you want the ice cream to be, meaning how many egg yolks and how much cream you put in the mixture. I use a 2:1 combination of heavy cream to milk to get the right balance for this ice cream, and 5 egg yolks.If you want a richer texture with an intense yellowish color, go for 8 egg yolks. Sometimes I make a rich vanilla ice cream when I want to impress my friends, but for everyday eating I go with the 5-yolk recipe — isn't this recipe high enough in fat already?
Alcohol
Adding alcohol to vanilla ice cream is a must in my opinion. It sharpens the flavors of any ice cream, but with vanilla it just makes all the difference — so don't skip it.You can choose your favorite booze. I use dark rum because it complements the vanilla flavor, but brandy, bourbon, or any good whiskey will work and complement this flavor just as well. I don't use vodka for vanilla ice cream because the natural flavor of vodka is pretty neutral, and I'm looking for sweeter, darker liquors to intensify and pair with the vanilla.
Method
- 1
infuse flavors· 1 hour
In a small saucepan on medium heat, place the milk, sugar and salt . scrape the vanilla bean (and throw the pod into the milk for extra flavor) or add the vanilla paste. Bring into a soft boil and remove immediately from heat. Let the mix infuse for 1 hour.
- 2
starting the ice cream· 7 minutes
Set a large bowl with ice water, and a smaller bowl in it. Pour the cream into the smaller bowl and set a strainer above it. Rewarm the milk, not more than 75°c/170°F and place the egg yolks in a separate bowl, scramble them a bit. Pour the warm milk slowly into the egg yolks while whisking constantly and pour back the mixture of the egg yolks and warm milk into the saucepan. Reduce heat to low, constantly whisk until the mix is showing resistance and a custard forms up.
- 3
finishing the ice cream base· 2 minutes
Strain the custard into the cream (which is in a bowl inside the ice bath) and whisk until cools down completely. Cover the mix and place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- 4
churn the ice cream· 40 minutes
Churn the ice cream according to manufacturer's instructions, place in a sealed container and freeze.
Jaron Kimhi
Jaron Kimhi — self-taught home cook from Tel Aviv, writing and cooking every recipe on this site himself. 20+ years of tinkering in the kitchen, leaning toward slow cooking, classic technique, and honest ingredients.
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