Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
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Today I had one of the best ice cream cones I’ve ever had! It is the ice cream pictured above, but I also drizzled a generous amount of this salted caramel sauce over it. That statement of this being one of the best is big for me. I’d consider myself somewhat of an ice cream connoisseur. It is one of my favorite foods after all. I eat it on average 3 – 4 times a week, sometimes it’s as many as 7. Wise? Maybe not. True? Yes. I just never get sick of it, ever. I eat healthy-ish throughout the day so I can splurge on ice cream after dinner. It’s also probably safe to say I’m addicted. I think about ice cream far too much I’m sure. As picky as I am about good ice cream, I’m definitely adding my stamp of approval to this one.
This wouldn’t seem to be anything extravagant and over that top, but oh how it is. Especially when you put in in a homemade ice cream cone (I use this ice cream cone maker here, if you are looking to buy one) and when you top it with that aforementioned salted caramel sauce. This is real life dreams right here! It’s so incredibly rich and creamy, it has just the right amount of sweet and it’s just all around completely satisfying. And when you add all the real vanilla bean seeds it just take it to a whole new level (no ground vanilla bean pods like that you may find in the store bought versions). And have I mentioned the secret ingredient? Sour cream. That may seem strange, like it may add a sour flavor or something but it doesn’t at all. It just adds more depth of flavor to this and delicately balances out the sweetness. It also insures you are going to stay true to the creamy texture it’s meant to have.
Another thing about this is that you don’t need egg yolks to create and unbelievably good ice cream. I still use them half the time but you can get just as much of a luxurious ice cream without them, and with this ice cream specifically, I don’t like the color they add. I wanted something nicely white without that pale yellow tint to it.
Yes, I think I might just go enjoy just a spoonful more. All this talk is making me crave it all over again :). Oh and if you are looking for really good vanilla beans at a fair price, I sell them!
Enjoy!
Follow Easy Cooking Zone
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk , divided
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup milk with the cornstarch until smooth, set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine remaining 1 3/4 cup milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla bean seeds and vanilla bean pod. Bring mixture just to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar.
- Once it reaches a boil, whisk cornstarch mixture once more, and while whisking milk mixture in saucepan, slowly pour cornstarch mixture into saucepan. Reduce heat slightly, while stirring constantly, allow mixture to bubble and cook about 1 - 2 minutes longer until has thickened and it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream. Pour into a heat proof bowl. Cover mixture with wax paper, pressing directly against the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until chilled through* (after which I also recommend freezing for 30 minutes, then stirring - yes before processing it in the ice cream maker, unless you have a really professional grade one. It gives the ice cream a better texture and gives the ice cream maker a head start).
- Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufactures instructions. Transfer mixture to an airtight container and freeze until firm (if your freezer is as cold as mine, let it rest at room temp several minutes before serving for optimal results. It should be semi-soft).