French Vanilla Ice Cream

On a high from the delicious Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream I made recently, I decided to broaden my horizons. A couple of older, slightly dried out vanilla beans called to me from the spice cabinet. Having successfully made a custard based ice cream led me in one direction, French Vanilla Ice Cream. I decided to veer off the path and not chill the ice cream base overnight as I had for the mint version. I didn't want to have to wait an extra day to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I also added a little extra cream to the base.

The result was super creamy, rich, delicious custard with lovely flecks of vanilla throughout. This is good ice cream!

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Decadent creamy French vanilla ice cream with flecks of vanilla bean.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins

Chilling time (at least 8 hours) 8 hrs

Total Time 9 hrs 20 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Servings 6

Calories 482 kcal

Equipment

• Ice cream maker
• Medium saucepan
• Sharp Paring knife to slit the vanilla bean lengthwise
• Large mesh strainer
• Medium bowl
• Quart sized freezer-safe container
• Large bowl for ice bath

Ingredients

  

0.5x1x2x3x

• 1 cup whole milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 ¼ cups heavy cream
• pinch of salt
• 2 vanilla beans
• 5 large egg yolks beaten with a fork

Instructions

 

• In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, and salt.
• Make a slit in each vanilla bean and scrape out the paste with a small spoon.
• Once the mixture is hot and steaming, remove from heat, add the vanilla bean and the paste. Stir well, cover and let stand for an hour to infuse the vanilla flavor.
• When cool, remove the beans and scrape again into the cream mixture. Discard the used beans.
• Reheat the cream/milk mixture but do not bring to a boil. Spoon one cup of the heated mixture into the beaten egg yolks a bit at a time, whisking constantly.
• After the cup of hot liquid has been added to the egg yolks, pour it back into the pot. Add the remaining 1 /14 cups of cream and stir well.
• Continue heating on low until the mixture covers the back of a spoon.
• Remove from heat and pour through a strainer over a bowl. Discard anything that is retained in the strainer.
• Immediately place the bowl in an ice water bath and stir until cooled. Chill in refrigerator until very cold. I leave it in the fridge overnight. Place whatever storage container you plan to use in the freezer now so it is chilled when you put the churned ice cream in it.
• Churn and freeze according to your ice cream maker's manufacturer instructions.
• Remove your storage container from the freezer and transfer the soft serve ice cream into it. Freeze until firm, then enjoy.

Notes

Cook time includes an hour of time for the steeping of the vanilla in milk. The overnight chilling is noted separately.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Amount per Serving

Calories

482

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

39

g

60

%

Saturated Fat

 

23

g

115

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

12

g

Cholesterol

 

289

mg

96

%

Sodium

 

59

mg

2

%

Potassium

 

137

mg

4

%

Carbohydrates

 

30

g

10

%

Sugar

 

27

g

30

%

Protein

 

5

g

10

%

Vitamin A

 

1594

IU

32

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

124

mg

12

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.

Keyword egg yolks, french, ice cream, vanilla, vanilla bean

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