Vanilla Ice Cream
I love ice cream, especially when I make it myself. I got this recipe from Alton Brown who explained that by chilling the mixture before putting it into the machine helps form smaller ice crystals and results in a smoother texture. I make this a lot in the summer. Serve it with apple pie or, as I often do, use it for homemade ice cream sandwiches. I’ll post a recipe for those soon.
Place all ingredients in a medium sauce pan; be sure to use the whole bean and include the pulp (this is the part that really matters). Over medium heat, stir occasionally to help dissolve the sugar and preserves. This also keeps a skin from forming on the surface. Bring mixture to 170F, do not let it boil. Remove from heat and let cool. [If you don’t have a thermometer, bring it just up to a simmer. Remove from the heat, as soon as you see a bubble.] Remove the vanilla bean hull and pour mixture into a container, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Place in an ice cream machine and freeze according to the unit’s instructions. The volume will increase by at least ½ and still soft, but not liquid. Spoon mixture back into container, cover and harden in freezer for at least 1 hour.
Again, the real trick here is to refrigerate the mixture overnight. The cooler it is when you start to freeze it the smaller the ice crystals that form. This produces a smoother, richer texture without using eggs in the recipe.