EASIEST VANILLA ICE CREAM

Easiest Vanilla Ice Cream image

There are many delicious things you can add to this vanilla ice cream. Try berries mashed with sugar, thick dulce de leche or chocolate shards; they should be added to the machine at the very end, once the mixture is already thickened and ready to go into the freezer. Or make Earl Grey ice cream by using loose tea (and a teaspoon of vanilla extract) instead of the vanilla bean.

Provided by Julia Moskin

Categories easy, ice creams and sorbets, dessert

Time 30m

Yield About 1 quart

Number Of Ingredients 5

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Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream, preferably organic and not ultra-pasteurized
2 cups half-and-half, preferably organic, or 1 cup additional heavy cream plus 1 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out with the tip of a sharp knife, or 3 tablespoons (about 8 bags) loose Earl Grey tea plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar or 3/4 cup light corn syrup, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste

Steps:

In a saucepan or a microwave-safe container, combine cream, half-and-half and vanilla bean and seeds (or tea and vanilla extract). On the stove or in the microwave, bring mixture to a simmer. Immediately turn off heat.
Add sugar or corn syrup and salt and mix until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Taste and add more sugar and salt as needed to balance the flavors. The mixture should taste slightly too sweet when warm; the sweetness will be muted when the ice cream is frozen.
Strain mixture into a container and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
Churn mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and let freeze until hard.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 227, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 20 grams, Fat 16 grams, Protein 2 grams, SaturatedFat 10 grams, Sodium 130 milligrams, Sugar 20 grams