I always make a big batch of vanilla ice cream and then mash other ingredients into it to create new flavors. This way I can tailor the ice cream to the dessert I am serving or the mood I am in. I start with a really great custard base, which is lusciously smooth, dense and has a silky texture. The flavor should be rich, but not too buttery (greasy) and I always start my “French custard” ice cream base with vanilla bean — there really isn’t a flavor that it doesn’t complement.
Vanilla Ice Cream Base:
Makes about 1 quart
Prep time: 20 hours
Churning time: 20 – 30 minutes
Level: multiple steps, but all of them are easy
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 large vanilla bean, scraped
1 cup sugar
10 egg yolks
Optional mix-ins:
- 1 cup pecan pieces, lightly toasted and cooled, plus ¼ cup of maple syrup to drizzle over the ice cream
- 1 cup dried cherries soaked in 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 cup ganache (1/2 cup heavy cream brought to a simmer, add 4 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate and gently stir until smooth.)
To make the Vanilla Ice Cream Base:
Heat the heavy cream, milk, vanilla bean and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. The longer you let this mixture sit, the stronger the vanilla flavor will be. I often bring the mixture to a simmer, turn off the heat and let it steep for an hour or so. Before you continue with the recipe, you will need to bring it back to a simmer.
Whisk together the yolks in a medium-sized bowl. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and whisk a small amount of the cream into the egg mixture. Add enough cream to warm the eggs.
Once the eggs are warm, add them back into the pot of remaining cream.
Use a rubber spatula to gently stir the custard over low heat. Continue stirring until the mixture starts to thicken.
When the custard seems to be getting thicker, lift the rubber spatula and run your finger through the custard. It is done when the custard clings to the spatula.
Pass the custard through a fine mesh strainer or chinois into a shallow dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and immediately place in the refrigerator.
Allow the custard to “ripen” for 6 to 12 hours for the best result. If you are in a rush, at least make sure the custard is thoroughly chilled. As you can see above, the custard will be quite thick once it has chilled.
Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Freeze a bowl and have it ready for the freshly made ice cream. Immediately freeze the ice cream to harden.
Once your vanilla ice cream is done you can have fun mashing other ingredients into it. In this bowl I have added toasted pecans and a drizzle of maple syrup. You can do this to the entire batch or just an individual bowl.
I also like to soak dried cherries in brandy during the time it takes to freeze the ice cream.
Then I strained the excess liquid off of the cherries and mixed them into the ice cream.
Spread the top of the ice cream with a thin layer of chocolate ganache.
As you scoop the ice cream out of the bowl the ganache will swirl into the ice cream — and add a wonderful chocolate-fudge flavor.
Be sure to bookmark Cooking Channel’s How to Make Homemade Ice Cream gallery to stay cool all summer long.
More Baked Goodness From Zoe:
- Berry Tart Recipe
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
- How to Write on a Cake
- No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
- Carrot Cupcakes
- Linzer Cookies
- Sweet, Cakey Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chunk-Peanut Butter Cookies
- Flourless Chocolate Torte
- Spring Cupcakes
- Lemon Meringue Cake
More Summertime Sweets from Cooking Channel:
Zoë François, author of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She now calls Minneapolis her home, where she has worked with some of the top talent in the culinary world — Steven Brown, Andrew Zimmern and many chefs at the D’Amico company. In addition to writing, Zoë teaches baking classes and consults at restaurants, and she maintains her baking blog, zoebakes.com. Her third book, Artisan Pizza and Flatbreads in Five Minutes a Day, comes out in October.
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[...]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
Public Enemy…
It?s hard to find knowledgeable folks on this topic, however you sound like you know what you?re speaking about! Thanks…
Recommeneded websites…
[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……
Websites we think you should visit…
[...]although websites we backlink to below are considerably not related to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go through, so have a look[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Related……
[...]just beneath, are numerous totally not related sites to ours, however, they are surely worth going over[...]……
Awesome website…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Sites we Like……
[...] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose [...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Gems form the internet…
[...]very few websites that happen to be detailed below, from our point of view are undoubtedly well worth checking out[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Sources…
[...]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[...]……
Read was interesting, stay in touch……
[...]please visit the sites we follow, including this one, as it represents our picks from the web[...]……
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are some of the best available [...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
Visitor recommendations…
[...]one of our visitors recently recommended the following website[...]……
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod’s. It works well, but isn’t as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that’s not an issue, but if you’re planning to b…
Hands down, Apple’s app store wins by a mile. It’s a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I’m not sure I’d want to bet on the future if this …
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]……
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
plan can help you stay on track….
i use mind mapping software to keep track of all my article titles. this makes it much easier to bust out 10 or 15 copies in one sitting.i’ll sit down, open up my mind software, write down at least ten titles…
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
Links…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……
Superb website…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I love but don’t get a lot of link love from[...]……
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around on the internet and found…
Online Article……
[...]The information mentioned in the article are valueable [...]……
Websites you should visit…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some websites that we think you could visit[...]……
to write the most important or the…
most interesting idea in the lead or introduction. since the lead is the first material your readers will encounter, it should be strong enough to urge them to read your piece. reserve some equally striking or appealing ideas for your conclusion….
Yahoo results…
While browsing youtube I discovered this article in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Check this out…
[...] that is the end of this article. Here you’ll find some sites that we think you’ll appreciate, just click the links over[...]……
Websites worth visiting…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worthed[...]……
thoughts and feelings to practically the whole…
world. it can be one of the ways to make money fast. develop your blog into something worthwhile which auto title loans will be a popular resource for specific groups of people. before you know it, companies will be begging you to provide them…
You should check this out…
[...] Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nevertheless really worth taking a look, whoa did one learn about Mid East has got more problerms as well [...]……
supportbefore converting psd to wordpress template/theme from…
a html design, an auto title loan individual should keep in mind that custom wordpress blog theme customization is a bit challenging task. therefore, an individual should hire dedicated wordpress developer to get cross-browser compatible wordpress powe…
Blogs ou should be reading…
[...]Here is a Great Blog You Might Find Interesting that we Encourage You[...]……