Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Well, in case you’ve been down in Fraggle Rock lately and haven’t noticed, it’s hot out there! I mean burning hot! My plan to make ice cream today has actually been my plan for weeks now, so I’m so glad that the hot weather finally made me get back into the kitchen. I had a hectic morning…going to the gym, running to the store, quickly making the ice cream base to get it into the fridge, washing sheets and the kitchen…yadda yadda yadda.
Anyways! Today I was pampered and treated to a mani-pedi by my dear friend. I absolutely needed it because my nails haven’t been treated to a spa day in years and it was the perfect way to unwind and forget about my troubles (she also thought this would be a great way to celebrate my birthday a little early; I agree whole-heartedly). Plus we decided to test the new shellack polish which is supposed to last a good 14 days…we’ll see! She and I both work in jobs that beat our hands and nails into an ugly mess, so we were both excited to see our hands cleaned up and step up to the challenge of testing the quality of the polish. I guess in 14 days we’ll have to check back in!

(vanilla bean)

When I got back from my awesome day out, I threw the ice cream base I made into the machine to churn into perfection. And I mean perfection! This is the yummiest treat I have made in a long time! It is creamy and rich and the flecks of vanilla* are just so beautiful. I love it. It would go perfect with a cookie or a drizzle of chocolate sauce, or straight out of the container! Plus, my beautiful hot pink nails look like they were meant to be holding a spoonful of this ice cream.

(perfectly churned ice cream)

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

16 oz heavy cream

16 oz half & half (I use non-fat)

1 cup sugar

4 egg yolks (save the whites for your morning omelet)

1 vanilla bean

~Set up your station: 3 large bowls (one needs to be heat proof because you’re going to use it for a double-boiler), large pot of simmering water on stove top, hand mixer, whisk, rubber spatula, and a cutting board with a sharp knife

~Bowl 1: heavy cream

~Bowl 2: half & half + sugar

~Bowl 3: egg yolks

(my three-bowl station)

~Put Bowl 2 onto the pot of simmering water and stir gently with the whisk until the sugar dissolves and let simmer on the stove top. Meanwhile…

~Use the hand mixer to beat the egg yolks until they are lighter

~Use the sharp knife to slice open the vanilla bean and then scrape the inside of the bean with the dull side of the knife. Place all of the vanilla, including the pod, into the simmering half & half and sugar mixture.

~Take a cup of the hot half & half and slowly whisk it into the yolks to temper them. Then, slowly pour the tempered yolks into the simmering Bowl 2 contents (still on the double-boiler). Then, continuously stir the contents with the spatula until it thickens enough to coat the spatula (like making custard).

~After the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula, pour it into Bowl 3 (the heavy cream). Put that bowl into the fridge for at least 2 hours to make the mixture cold.

~Freeze according to the ice cream maker’s directions and then put into a container and into the freezer for a few hours. Enjoy!

*really do your research while you’re in the grocery store and look for the most affordable vanilla beans. In my local grocery store, the vanilla beans are 2 for $10 which is just outrageous! BUT I found vanilla beans in the bulk section of the natural foods store for $1.25 each. Now that’s a deal!

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