The best homemade vanilla ice cream starts with egg yolks and a real vanilla bean. You basically make a rich and creamy custard and when frozen, it churns into the most heavenly and unforgettable vanilla ice cream. The Cuisinart ice cream maker recipe booklet provided me with a fantastic start to this recipe. I made a few tweaks to make it truly Flaweless!

The Best Vanilla Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

2 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 whole vanilla bean, halved and seeds scraped

5 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

METHOD

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat, whisk together the milk, cream, half of the sugar, salt and the scraped vanilla bean (including the pod). Bring the mixture just to a boil.

2. While the milk/cream mixture is heating, combine the yolks and remaining sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer on low speed or whisk, beat until mixture is pale and thick.

3. Once the milk/cream mixture has come to a slight boil, whisk about 1/3 of the hot mixture into the yolk/sugar mixture. Add another 1/3 of the mixture, then return the combined mixture to the saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon. This mixture must NOT boil or the yolks will overcook – the process should only take a few minutes.

4. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer (discard the vanilla pod) and bring to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. Whisk mixture together again before pouring into the ice cream maker.

5. Pour the mixture into the mixing bowl of the Ice Cream maker fitted with the ice cream paddle. Turn unit on and let mix until thickened, about 30 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture but after you transfer it to pint containers and freeze, it will firm up nicely.