Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

I’ve tried different recipes for vanilla ice cream over the years and have found this to be my favorite. It’s simple, flavorful and creamy. I think everyone who loves to make their own ice cream should have a reliable vanilla ice cream recipe. This is it!

Vanilla extract or vanilla paste? And what about vanilla beans?

Any of the above will do. I like using vanilla beans or vanilla paste for this recipe since vanilla is the primary flavor of this ice cream; the star of the show. In other words, since it’s not combined or masked with other flavors like strawberries, chocolate, caramel, coffee, etc, the vanilla beans or vanilla paste elevates the simplicity of this ice cream. Plus, I find the tiny seeds or specks of vanilla that you get from vanilla paste or vanilla beans add a different level of enjoyment. However, flavor-wise, vanilla extract will certainly do the trick.

Total creamy goodness!

Author's note: I used vanilla extract in the photo above; hence the absence of vanilla seeds.

It's Versatile

This creamy dessert is lovely served à la mode atop a warm slice of fruit pie. Or serve it with a simple cookie or biscotti. It also goes well buried in a hot caramel or hot dark chocolate sauce, sprinkled with toasted chopped nuts and marshmallows.

Then there’s affogato which is one of my favorite desserts. The hot espresso melting and dancing against the cold creamy vanilla bean ice cream is just heaven! It’s a race to get to the ice cream before the hot espresso melts it all.

In the photo above, the vanilla ice cream is smothered with lemon curd that my dear friend Connie made. I topped it with a sliver of Walnut Praline. The sweetness of the ice cream balances the sweet-and-sour-and-tart flavor profile of the lemon curd. I'll make sure to share the lemon curd and praline recipes in the near future.

Happy cooking and eating,
Anna

Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 - 1 1/2 vanilla beans (may substitute with 1 tablespoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract)
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum, optional

Instructions

Combine the cream and milk in a heavy pot. Bring it just to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add to cream mixture. if using vanilla paste or extract, add to cream mixture. Remove from heat. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make the custard

In another saucepan, beat together the egg yolks, sugar, and xanthan gum. Pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula until it thickens, ideally until it reaches between 170°F and 180°F. Chill thoroughly for around 4 hours.

Churn

Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve

The ice cream may be served immediately for a soft-serve texture or kept in the freezer for a few hours for a firmer ice cream texture.