Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

By AzWench

Ingredients

• Gallon:
• 5 1/3 cups Heavy cream
• 2 2/3 cups Whole milk
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon Salt
• 5 Vanilla beans; split lengthwise
• 5 large Eggs
• Half Gallon:
• 2 2/3 cups Heavy cream
• 1 1/3 cups Whole milk
• 2 cups Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 2 1/2 to 3 Vanilla beans; split lengthwise
• 3 large Eggs

Preparation

Step 1

Combine cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans into cream mixture, then drop in pods. Heat mixture just to boil.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour mixture into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and a thermometer registers 170 degrees (do not let boil).

Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean metal bowl, then cool, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered until cold, at least 3 hours. Or to chill faster set custard bowl in bowl of ice water and stir until cool.

Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker.