According to Alton Brown...Serious Vanilla Ice Cream

I admit it. I love ice cream. It is my guilty pleasure, well one of many, but I am happy with a bowl of ice cream.

Growing up, my dad always had a bowl of ice cream after supper. He'd dish it up and sit a the kitchen table to enjoy it. I didn't always join him...I had to keep an eye on my figure and too much ice cream didn't make that an easy task.We were a vanilla kind of family, but there was always a topping or two in the refrigerator if we wanted to dress it up.

Last year I bought a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and have enjoyed making different flavors, but vanilla is still my favorite. Here is a recipe I think is good. It came from Alton Brown, and you know anything of his just has to be great.



Serious Vanilla Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart

2 cups half & half
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons peach preserves (not jelly)
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

Combine all ingredients (including the bean and its pulp) in a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan. Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to 170 degrees F. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the hull of the vanilla beans, pour mixture into a lidded container and refrigerate overnight to mellow flavors and texture.

Freeze mixture in ice cream freezer according to unit's instructions. The mixture will not freeze hard in the machine. Once the volume has increase by 1/2 to 3/4 times, and reaches a soft serve consistency, spoon the mixture back into a lidded container and harden in the freezer at least 1 hour before serving.

NOTE: If you do not have a thermometer, bring the mixture just barely to a simmer. As soon as you see a bubble hit the surface, remove it from the heat. Do not let it boil.

I made the base early in the morning and refrigerated it about 8 hours before churning it. I also gave it about three hours in my freezer and it was still pretty soft. We ate it anyway!!

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/


Comments

  1. Ice cream! These two little words sound like music to my ears. I love how eveyrone has started using their ice cream machines now that spring is here. I can't wait to us mine as well. I love ice cream and this vanilla one gets in my list!

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    Replies
    1. I especially like this recipe because it has no eggs in it.

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  2. Replies
    1. It is, or I should say, it was! I do think my dad would have enjoyed a bowl of it too.

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