Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

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Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – Thickened with cornstarch and one egg yolk, this simple vanilla bean ice cream is the perfect smooth and creamy texture.

Simple vanilla bean ice cream. Is there really anything better? I know that most people don’t like a bowl of plain old vanilla ice cream, but I do. I love that the vanilla flavor shines and that all you have is a cold creamy bowl of goodness.

Not only is vanilla bean ice cream perfect on its own, but it is would be a perfect accompaniment to a warm apple pie. Or truly decadent alongside this croissant bread pudding. And just downright sinful on top of this brownie with maybe a little caramel sauce on top?

Don’t let vanilla ice cream fool you. With flecks of gorgeous and extravagant vanilla bean running throughout, this vanilla bean ice cream is straight up fancy.

I used the same exact method that I used when I made Coffee Toffee Ice Cream. In fact, I based that flavor off of this vanilla ice cream recipe. This is a great base to play with, you will come up with infinite ice cream flavors on your own. You will share won’t you?

*makes 1 quart*

3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
pinch salt
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (you may also use a regular vanilla bean or vanilla extract)

Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan.

Gradually whisk in the milk and cream.

Cook the mixture over medium to medium to high heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture thickens. It needs to come up to a bubble in order for the cornstarch to thicken the mixture.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and vanilla bean paste.

Add about 1/2 cup of the hot cream to the yolk mixture very slowly, whisking constantly. You do not want the yolk to scramble.

Gradually add the rest of the cream mixture. I thought that my mixture needed a few more flecks of vanilla, so I added a bit more vanilla bean paste. Ideally, you would cover this with plastic wrap (make sure that the plastic wrap touches the surface of the ice cream so that it does not form a skin) and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. I needed vanilla ice cream for something else that I was making so I used the ice bath method instead.

Fill a large metal bowl with ice cubes and cold water.

Put the vanilla bean ice cream into the water bath. When the ice cubes melt, add more until the mixture is cold. About 45 minutes?

Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the directions that came with your ice cream maker. Mine takes about 30 minutes.

Pour the frozen ice cream into another container and let freeze until firm.

Scoop and enjoy.