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Vanilla Custard Ice Cream

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Makes about 1 quart 1x

Time about 30 minutes, plus time to chill and churn

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Ingredients

  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a large saucepan and use a whisk or electric mixer to beat them until thick and pale yellow, about 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk the half-and-half, cream, and salt into the yolks until thoroughly combined. Put the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thick; if the custard ever starts to simmer, turn down the heat. It’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon and a line drawn with your finger remains intact; this should take about 5 minutes.
  3. Pour the custard through a fine-meshed strainer into a bowl and stir in the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until it is completely cool, at least 2 hours and preferably overnight. Transfer to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions.
  4. Eat the ice cream right after churning or cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 20 minutes or so if you’re not quite ready. After that, freeze it for up to several weeks; let it sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator until it can once again be easily scooped.

– Recipe from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition 

Recipe variations

Simplest Vanilla Ice Cream
Substitute 2 tablespoons cornstarch for the egg yolks. In Step 1, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of the half-and-half to make a slurry. In Step 2, put the remaining half-and-half, cream, sugar, and salt in the saucepan. Cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture begins to gently bubble; whisk in the slurry and proceed with the recipe.

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
Instead of making a custard, whisk together 31/2 cups plain yogurt, 3/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until combined. Chill for 30 minutes, then add any extra ingredients you like (see below) and churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.