Frequently asked questions
The texture stays creamy in the freezer for days, and it’s a bit of heaven dolloped onto a peach crisp or crumble scooped onto a cone. We’re not typically vanilla ice cream people, but this one is absolutely transcendental!
Whole milk: Whole milk is essential for the creamy texture: the milk fat is what keeps things creamy instead of icy when frozen. Heavy cream: Heavy cream in an equal amount balances the milk: it’s just enough to be creamy but not too rich. Egg yolks: Egg is traditionally used in French-style ice cream to enhance the thick texture. Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the custard even more and makes a silky, scoop-able texture. Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar is the best sweetener for the job; don’t be tempted to substitute alternate sweeteners here. Salt: Salt enhances and brightens the flavors, much like it does with savory food. Vanilla extract: Often vanilla bean is used in vanilla ice cream recipes, but it can be cost prohibitive. This recipe has just enough flavor using extract.
Find a quality ice cream maker. Here’s the 2 quart freezer bowl ice cream maker we use. It’s very durable and has held up well over the years. We also have this automatic ice cream maker, which is larger and more expensive but easier to use because it requires no pre-freezing. Food thermometer: It’s not required for this recipe, but a food thermometer is helpful for measuring the temperature of the custard. If you don’t have one, follow the visual and timing cues in the recipe and it works just as well.
For freezer bowl ice cream makers, freeze the base in advance. Make sure to freeze the base of the ice cream maker overnight before making this recipe. If you forget, try freezing the base for at least 4 hours. Give it a shake and if you still hear liquid inside, it’s not fully frozen: freeze it for another hour or two until solid. Automatic ice cream makers don’t require freezing in advance. They are pretty large and require a bit of storage space. But they make up for it in ease of use: no need to think ahead! You can also make more than one ice cream flavor back to back (whereas with the freezer bowl maker you have to freeze the bowl again).
Make the custard (10 to 15 minutes): Simmer the milk, heavy cream and salt 4 to 5 minutes, taking care that it doesn’t boil. Whisk a bit of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks and sugar, then whisk in cornstarch (previously dissolved into a bit of milk). Add everything back to the milk mixture and heat 6 to 7 minutes until thickened. Stir in the vanilla. Cool the custard (30 minutes, 1 hour or 3 hours): Cool down the custard before churning it. You can do this in a few ways: the quickest is to pour it into a 1-gallon zip-top bag, seal it, and place the bag in ice water for 30 minutes. Or you can transfer the mixture to a large metal or glass bowl and place the bowl in a smaller bowl of ice water for 1 hour. Alternatively, simply place the bowl in the refrigerator and wait for 3 hours or until the temperature drops to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Churn (25 minutes): Then churn the ice cream in the ice cream maker. After 25 minutes, it makes a soft serve texture you can eat immediately. Freeze for hard ice cream texture (at least 2 hours): Or, freeze the ice cream for 2 hours for a scoop-able, hard ice cream texture (as shown in the photos).
Place it in a loaf pan with a parchment sheet over the top, or simply scoop it into a sealed container. The texture is lusciously creamy for the entire storage period, not icy like other methods. This is why heating the custard is so important!
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