Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Compared to other flavors, plain vanilla ice cream is boring. Boring. Boring Boring. But when you think about everything you can put in it, it is a world of possibilities.  This ice cream gets a little kick from rum and brown sugar. I like to pour some espresso over a couple of small scoops of this ice cream, making an affogato (ice cream drowned in espresso), and have it instead of my morning coffee.

Ingredients

• 2 vanilla beans
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cup whole milk
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons dark rum

Procedure

1. Prepare an ice bath: place some ice and cold water on a big bowl, place a bowl that is big enough to hold the ice cream mixture over the bowl with the ice and place a fine mesh strainer on it.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar together until light in color.
3. Cut the vanilla beans lengthwise in half. Scrape the seeds with a knife and place them in a saucepan. Add the heavy cream, and milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Start by adding 1 cup of the milk mixture from the pan into the bowl with egg/sugar mixture whisking well. Continue adding the warm milk into the egg mixture in 1 cup increments until all the warm milk mixture has been added. You can eyeball this; it does not need to be exact.
5. Return all the mixture to the saucepan. Add the brown sugar. Heat the mixture on medium heat, constantly stirring with a heat-proof spatula until the mixture thickens slightly. If you have an instant read thermometer it should reach 160-170 degrees F.
6. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into the ice bath.  Stir with a spatula for about 5 minutes to help it cool. Return the vanilla bean to the mixture, add the liquor if using, and refrigerate 24-48 hours.
7. Remove the vanilla beans from the mixture, rinse and reserve for another use (more about that in an upcoming post). Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze 4 hours or overnight before serving.
8. Eat.