Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

Makes between 1- 1 1/2 quarts
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 24 hours

1 1/2 cups|300 grams heavy cream (30%)

2 cups|400 grams whole milk (40%) 400g, 2 cups

¼ cup|50 grams glucose syrup (5%) 50g, 1/4 cup

¾ cup|150 grams sugar (15%)

1 whole vanilla (or 2 tablespoons vanilla extract)

5 large egg yolks (10%)

Texture agent of your choice

1. Prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl two thirds of the way with very icy ice water place it in the refrigerator.

2. Boil the dairy and sugars. Put the cream, milk, glucose,and sugar in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, and place it over medium high heat. Cook, whisking occasionally to discourage the milk from scorching, until the mixture come to a full rolling boil remove the heat from the pot.

3. Infuse the vanilla. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the tip of a paring knife to scrape the seeds from the pod. Stir both the vanilla seeds and the pod into the hot dairy and allow the vanilla bean to infuse for 30 minutes. (if using vanilla extract, wait to add it to the cooled ice cream base or the flavor will disappear while cooking.)

4. Remove the vanilla and reheat. Remove and discard the empty vanilla pod. Reheat the dairy over medium high heat. Cook until the liquid comes to a full rolling boil then remove from the heat.

5. Temper the yolks and cook the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks. Add 1/2 cup of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks while whisking so the hot milk doesn't scramble the yolks. Pour the tempered yolks back into the pot over medium low heat and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot constantly with a rubber spatula to avoid curdling.

6. Chill. When you notice the custard thickening, or the temperature reaches 180°F on a kitchen thermometer, immediately pour the custard into a glass bowl. Nest the hot bowl into the ice bath, stirring occasionally until it cools down.

7. Strain. When the custard is cool to the touch (50°F, or below) strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of egg yolk. (this step is optional but will ensure the smoothest ice cream possible)

8. Cure. Transfer the cooled base to the refrigerator to cure for 4 hours or preferably overnight (this step is also optional, but the texture will be much improved with it)

9. Churn. Place the base into the bowl of an ice cream make and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. The ice cream is ready when it thickens into the texture of soft serve ice cream and holds it shape, typically 20 to 30 minutes.

10. Harden. To freeze your custard ice cream in the american hard pack style, immediately transfer to a container with an airtight lid. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming, cover and store it in your freezer until it hardens completely, between 4 and 12 hours. Or, feel free to enjoy immediately; the texture will be similar to soft serve.

Reprinted from Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream: The Art and Science of the Scoop. Copyright © 2017 by Dana Cree. Photographs by Andrea D'Agosto. Illustrations by Anna Posey. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.