Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, whole milk or combination
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, coconut sugar or maple syrup or 1/4 cup raw honey
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Custard Ice Cream Base
- Combine the milk, cream and half of the sugar in a pot and bring it just to a boil.
- Stir the egg yolks and remaining half of the sugar with a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth in a medium, heatproof bowl.
- Once the cream simmers, slowly stir half of the hot mixture into the egg yolks. Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture into the pot with the remaining cream.
- Stirring constantly, cook the sauce over medium-low heat just until it begins to thicken, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot constantly. Cook until it thickens slightly and thinly coats the back of your spoon, or reaches around 175° F. Do not let the custard simmer or boil.
- Strain the sauce into a heatproof bowl to remove any cooked egg bits (if you think any curdled), and chill the sauce until it's very cold, at least four hours, or overnight.
Adding Flavorings & Churning
- Before churning, add any extracts or fruit purée of your liking.
- Churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s instructions, it usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes. Universally, ice cream is ready for removal when it is slightly thicker than soft serve.
- If adding chocolate chips, candy bits, caramel sauce or liqueur, add them at the end and only churn a few moments more to combine.
- Freeze for an hour or two prior to serving, or enjoy immediately.
Notes
For chocolate ice cream... whisk in ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder with the milk and sugar mixture before bringing it to a boil. Or pour the hot sauce over three to four ounces of chopped semisweet or dark chopped chocolate, let it sit for a few minutes so the chocolate softens, then whisk until smooth and combined. Chill and churn.
For vanilla bean ice cream... add a split vanilla bean (sliced vertically down the center to expose the seeds) to the cream and sugar. Then once it comes to a boil turn off the heat and let it all steep for ten minutes or up to 30 minutes. Then bring it back to a gentle simmer and temper it into the egg yolk mixture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Tempering
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Gluten Free
Keywords: homemade ice cream, custard ice cream, ice cream ingredients, vanilla ice cream, vanilla sauce, ice cream recipe