Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – this ice cream is custard based, so it is unbelievably smooth and creamy! An unbeatable vanilla ice cream recipe.
You can serve this vanilla ice cream as it is, but it is even better topped with hot fudge sauce or caramel sauce.
When I make homemade ice cream, I typically make fancy shmancy ice cream loaded with mix-ins. But sometimes you just want something simple. This ice cream is simple, but it definitely isn’t boring. It is silky smooth, and so rich and creamy thanks to the egg yolks.
Vanilla is actually my daughter’s favorite flavor, so she was pretty thrilled about this ice cream. However, even the over the top ice cream flavor fans in the family loved it. As far as vanilla goes, it’s unbeatable!
Making custard ice cream does take more time than making regular ice cream, but it’s worth it! It yields ice cream that is always creamy, never icy. The process isn’t hard, you just have to cook the eggs with some milk and sugar to kill any potential salmonella.
For extra flavor in this ice cream, you let a vanilla bean steep in the hot custard mixture so it releases even more of that warm, rich vanilla flavor. After the mixture has cooled, you scrape out the seeds giving you those pretty vanilla flecks.
In addition to the vanilla bean, you also add some vanilla extract. Not only does it add flavor, it helps keep the ice cream from freezing into a brick. Since the alcohol in the extract doesn’t freeze, it makes for easier to scoop ice cream.
How to Make French Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients:
egg yolks
sugar
salt
heavy cream
whole milk
vanilla extract
vanilla bean
You will start by cooking the egg yolks, sugar, salt, cream, and milk in a saucepan till thick and creamy. Add the vanilla bean to the hot mixture and let it cool to room temperature, then add the vanilla extract. Chill the ice cream base, then freeze in an ice cream mixture.
You can serve it straight from the ice cream machine if you want soft serve ice cream. We like to let it ripen for a few hours in the freezer until it’s scoopable.
When it’s done, you can eat it as is, add some sprinkles, serve it on top of pie or cobbler, or drizzle it with your favorite ice cream topping. We tried some drizzled with my homemade hot fudge sauce, and it was simply divine!
Pro tips:
-Make sure you whisk the egg/sugar/milk mixture thoroughly before you cook it. You don’t want to see any flecks of yellow. Don’t worry, you can’t overmix it at this stage.
-You may be tempted to turn up the heat to speed up the cooking of the custard. Resist the impulse. You want the mixture to cook slowly. If it gets too hot too fast, the egg yolks can curdle. Alternately, the mixture can scorch if the bottom of the pan is too hot.
What is the difference between French vanilla and vanilla ice cream?
No, French vanilla doesn’t refer to a type of vanilla bean, it refers to the method in which the ice cream is made. French vanilla ice cream is made with eggs or egg yolks. It has a slightly yellow color, due to the egg yolks. It can be made with vanilla beans or vanilla extract.
What does French vanilla ice cream taste like?
French vanilla ice cream has a more rich flavor than regular vanilla ice cream. Some recipes call for enough egg yolks that the ice cream can even have a custard like flavor. Egg yolks also make the ice cream more smooth.
Variations for this ice cream:
-For vanilla fans, this ice cream is perfect as is. But of course you can add any mix-ins that you like. Add crushed Oreos for the most amazing cookies and cream ice cream you’ve ever tried. You can also stir in any fruit, nuts, or candy that you love. Get creative!
-If you don’t have a vanilla bean, you can add an additional tablespoon of vanilla extract. It won’t have quite the depth of flavor, but it will still be mighty tasty.
Rich and creamy custard based vanilla ice cream. Egg yolks make it extra smooth!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Additional Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours30 minutes
Ingredients
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt (optional)
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Whisk egg yolks in a heavy medium sized saucepan. Add sugar, salt, and milk, whisk till smooth. Add cream.
Cook over medium or medium low heat till it barely comes to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add vanilla bean and vanilla extract.
Let mixture come to room temperature, then remove vanilla bean. Pour mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps.
Split in half and scrape vanilla bean seeds into the ice cream mixture.
Chill ice cream base for several hours or overnight, until very cold. I like to speed up the process by placing the metal saucepan in a bowl of ice water, and stirring till it is cold.
Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.
Place ice cream in a freezer safe container and let ripen in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until stiff enough to scoop.
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The main difference between vanilla and French vanilla ice cream is the addition of egg yolks in French vanilla ice cream. This gives French vanilla ice cream a richer, creamier texture and more complex vanilla flavor. Vanilla ice cream, on the other hand, has a simpler flavor and a lighter texture.
French ice cream is made with eggs so it's thick and custardy whereas American ice cream (also called Philadelphia-style) is made with sugar, milk, and cream. French ice cream doesn't develop as many ice crystals as American ice cream.
What makes French vanilla “French” is that the base for the ice cream contains egg yolks, while the base for regular vanilla ice cream does not. The egg yolks lend a pale-yellow color to French vanilla ice cream and also gives it a richer, smoother consistency and mouthfeel.
When it comes to great ice cream, cold temperatures and speed are your friends: the faster you bring your base from liquid to solid, the creamier it'll be. In a 2-quart unit, a typical batch of ice cream will take between 18 and 25 minutes to churn.
Anna: French Vanilla is really unique because it's technically a custard flavor. This means we've added more egg yolks into the vanilla ice cream base itself. It's rich and thick, creamy, and more savory than our other vanillas, but still sweet.
The term French vanilla was originally used to describe a vanilla custard or ice cream made with cream, egg yolks and vanilla extract. The flavor French vanilla, in addition to vanilla extract contains hazelnut, caramel or butterscotch flavors as well as spice notes such as anise and cassia.
If you have ever made ice cream, you already know what goes into it, ingredients such as milk, cream, and sugar. But there is one main ingredient that you may not have thought about, probably because you can't see it—air.
They are the very small seeds of the vanilla orchid plant, contained inside the beans that grow inside the vanilla pods. They have become a kind of celebrity ingredient in ice cream. They add something visually, but provide next to no flavour.
What's the danger in ice cream? Since thorough cooking is nec- essary to destroy the salmonella bacteria, foods that contain raw or lightly cooked eggs—such as ice cream, eggnog, undercooked scrambled or soft boiled eggs, and homemade mayonnaise— are risky and should be avoided.
Eggs leverage the fat already present in the ice cream base (the butterfat in cream and milk) and make it work even further for a creamier texture. But wait, there's more! Egg yolks also improve the stability of an ice cream, reducing its tendency to melt before you can get it from freezer to cone to mouth.
Most home ice cream recipes call for simple table sugar, which is chemically known as sucrose. But in pro kitchens you have more options. Liquid sugars like invert sugar, corn syrup, honey, and glucose syrup all add body, creaminess, and stability to ice cream, and a little goes a long way.
But it's important to remember that you're getting enough ingredients to make several batches of ice cream. If you can get 5 gallons out of these ingredients, then you've spent only $3.00 per gallon. That is less expensive than the average store-bought gallon. It can help you stay on track with your grocery budget.
French vanilla has its eggy base to thank for its thick, custardy taste, while regular vanilla relies on cream plus a vanilla flavoring that derives from the vanillin compound.
French ice cream is made with eggs so it's thick and custardy whereas American ice cream (also called Philadelphia-style) is made with sugar, milk and cream. I find French ice cream to be silkier and it doesn't develop nearly as many ice crystals as its little-bit-lighter cousin.
Major Distinguishing Factor. While both have a rich vanilla flavor, the primary difference comes from the source of vanilla. French vanilla uses French vanilla syrup with a mix of hazelnut to provide a creamy, nutty flavor. On the other hand, vanilla coffee incorporates plain vanilla syrup or extract.
The difference between ice cream and frozen custard comes down to one ingredient: egg yolks. Ice cream is made with milk, cream, and sweetener. Frozen custard contains the same ingredients, plus egg yolks. This extra ingredient means frozen custard usually has a richer, thicker, and creamier texture than ice cream.
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