French Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

French Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise
• 8 large egg yolks
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of kosher salt

How to make it

1. In a medium bowl, beat together the yolks and half of the sugar. You can beat by hand using a whisk or using a hand mixer. Beat until thoroughly smooth and creamy.
2. Put cream, milk, the remaining half of the sugar, and the salt into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Scrape vanilla seeds from beans with the tip of a small knife into pan; add beans. Heat the mixture until just before it starts to simmer (do not let simmer). Remove mixture from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
3. While the mixture is standing, prepare an ice water bath in a bowl large enough to set another bowl easily inside of it. Set aside.
4. Whisk in 1 cup of the cream mixture in a slow stream into the yolk mixture to temper it. Add another cup of the cream mixture; continue to whisk. Transfer the egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining cream, milk and vanilla. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. You can run your finger in a line over the back of the coated spoon. If the mixture doesn't run, but stays in place on the spoon, it should be thick enough. Remove from heat.
5. Pour custard through a medium-mesh sieve into a stainless steel bowl set in the ice-water bath See Photo. Let cool completely, stirring until completely chilled.
6. Freeze custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.