Have any of you ever made homemade CUSTARD ice cream?? Once you've had this dreamy concoction, there really is no going back to "normal ice cream". It is OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD!!!! Serve this to your guests, and you will truly create a memorable experience for all involved. It takes a little extra time, but is SO worth it!!
I used the Pioneer Woman's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe which you can view here. She has many wonderful recipes you'll wanna check out while you're over there, not to mention some great illustrations on how to make this decadent dessert. For those of you who would rather view the recipe here, it is as follows:
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Ingredients
• 1 whole Vanilla Bean, Split And Scraped - REAL vanilla makes ALL the difference!
• 3 cups Half-and-half
• 2 cups Sugar - I might try 1/2 cup less next time, just my preference.
• 8 whole (up To 9) Large Egg Yolks
• 3 cups Heavy Cream
Preparation Instructions
Heat half-and-half and 2 cups sugar in a saucepan over low heat, adding vanilla “caviar” to the mixture. (You can also drop in the scraped vanilla bean, just to extract all the flavor. Make sure to discard the bean before moving to the next step.) Turn off heat when mixture is totally heated. Beat egg yolks by hand or with an electric mixer until yolks are pale yellow and slightly thick. Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling into the 1 1/2 cups of hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. After that, pour the egg yolk/half-and-half mixture into the pan containing the rest of the half-and-half mixture. Cook over low to medium-low heat (depending on how hot your stove gets) until quite thick, stirring constantly. Drain custard using a fine mesh strainer, (I skipped this step, and it turned out perfectly fine),then pour into a bowl with the heavy cream. Stir to combine. Chill mixture completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker until thick. Place container in freezer to harden for at least eight hours.
My parents gave us one of those super cool ice cream makers that can make ice cream in 20-25 minutes! I'm not sure if I should thank them a million times over or blame them for the undeniable pounds I'm sure to gain from this spectacular little machine! Ha! I love homemade ice cream and love that it can be so simple to make....not to mention that you know EXACTLY what's in it. Try it, you won't regret it!! (although, your waistline might!)
