Vanilla Ice Cream, Philadelphia Style

By Addie

Did you know that Philadelphia style ice cream is simply ice cream made with no eggs? I tried a couple of impressively rich ice creams (made with eggs) last summer that my family just loved. However, we are not used to ice creams that rich, so they are not frequently made in my home. Besides, I'll be honest, I really like to make things simpler and not more complicated in the kitchen wherever possible. This recipe is hands down, the BEST simple vanilla ice cream I have ever made. I've made this recipe both cooked and uncooked. If you are really in a rush, you can simply stir everything together cold and pour it into the machine. However, simmering it just long enough to dissolve the sugar and then cooling it again truly makes it even better. So, that is how I usually make it. Stir, Simmer, Stir, Chill and Freeze; less than 10 minutes of actual prep time. If I put the mixture together in the morning, and then freeze it in the afternoon, we are easily having this for dessert the same evening. For this batch of ice cream, I tossed in chopped chunks of Dark Chocolate Coconut Blondies as soon as the ice cream was finished in the machine. I loved the combination of flavors and I will definitely be keeping a few extra blondies from future batches chopped and waiting in the freezer for

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: 2 cups of add-ins - soft brownies, cookies and blondies work great

Preparation

Step 1

Pour 1 cup of the cream into a saucepan and add the sugar, salt. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pot and then add the vanilla pod to the pot. Warm the mixture over medium heat, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the remaining cream, milk and vanilla. Stir to combine and chill in the refrigerator.

When ready to churn, remove the vanilla pod, whisk mixture again and pour into ice cream maker. Freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.