Easy Ice Cream Recipes

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Egg yolk based ice cream mixtures are, in fact, a cream as opposed to a custard. They just happen to be a frozen cream.  While creams and custards are typically made with the same ingredients, creams are typically cooked on the stove-top while custards are typically cooked in an oven.

How you get there matters. A custard will set between 175 and 185° F / 80 and 85° C. The custard that forms is tender and very fragile, exceed the set temperature by 5 to 10° F and you get scrambled eggs in a watery liquid.

Careful cooking and controlled temperatures are your key to success with custards and creams. The best results are obtained by using a very low heat, constant stirring, and a thermometer.

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French vanilla ice cream with Valrhona chocolate chunks. An easy ice cream recipe that will make your ice cream loving taste-buds do the happy dance.

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I'm using Bourbon vanilla extract, rather than vanilla beans.

In a grocery store a single vanilla bean runs about 5.00 dollars. A one-pound package from most food distributors runs about 60.00. There are at least 100 beans in a one-pound bag. That works out to about .60 cents per bean. Or, conversely, in the store you're paying 500.00 dollars for a 60.00 dollar product.

In addition the beans you get in the spice aisle of the grocery store are often dried out, not what you want.

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Pour milk and cream into a 2-quart / 2-liter saucier or sauce-pan. If you're using vanilla beans, split the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the cream and toss in the seed pods as well. if you're using vanilla extract add it to the cream mixture and bring it to a simmer, then turn it off.

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Combine the yolks, sugar, powdered milk, and salt in a medium to large mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves.

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Temper the yolk mixture with the cream mixture. While constantly whisking slowly drizzle a fine stream of the hot cream mixture into the yolks.

If you go too fast you will cook the yolks.

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Transfer the ice cream base back into the pot and cook over low heat until a thermometer registers 179° F / 81.5° C.

Immediately remove from heat, pour through a chinois or fine mesh strainer into a clean pot submerged in an ice bath. Stir until a thermometer registers 40° F / 4.5° C.

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Easy Ice Cream Recipes Anyone Can Make.

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• Yield: 1 quart
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
  
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
  
• Refrigeration / Freezing Time: varies depending on type of machine
  

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Equipment

• Ice cream freezer
• chinois or fine mesh strainer
• thermometer
• saucier
  

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Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons / 10 ml bourbon vanilla extract, or half a vanilla bean
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 + 1/8 cups / 130 g / 4.5 oz sugar
• 1 tbsp / 14 g / 0.5 oz powdered milk
• Small pinch salt
• 3.5 oz / 100 grams Valrhona chocolate - 85%, broken or chopped into pieces
  

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Method

1. Pour milk and cream into a 2-quart / 2-liter saucier or sauce-pan. If you're using vanilla beans, split the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the cream and toss in the seed pods as well. if you're using vanilla extract add it to the cream mixture and bring it to a simmer, then turn it off.
2. Meanwhile, combine the yolks, sugar, powdered milk, and salt in a medium to large mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves.
3. Temper the yolk mixture with the cream mixture. While constantly whisking slowly drizzle a fine stream of the hot cream mixture into the yolks. Continue until the yolk mixture becomes a loose liquid. At that point you can add the remaining cream mixture into the bowl and whisk to thoroughly incorporate the ingredients.
4. Transfer the ice cream base back into the pot and cook over low heat until a thermometer registers 179° F / 81.5° C.
5. Immediately remove from heat, pour through a chinois or fine mesh strainer into a clean pot submerged in an ice bath. Stir until a thermometer registers 40° F / 4.5° C.
6. Transfer to a container and rest in refrigerator until the temperature drops to 33° F / 0.5° C.
   

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Notes

1. When you combine the sugar and yolks you need to start whisking immediately, or the sugar will begin to coagulate the yolks. If this happens the only solution is to toss the ingredients and start over.
2. If you are using an ice cream machine that utilizes a "freezer bowl" rather than "salt and ice", I have found that, you get the best results by first bringing the temperature of the ice cream base as close to freezing as possible, before actually churning the ice cream in the machine.

Tags: easy ice cream recipes, vanilla ice cream recipes, french ice cream

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