Classic Vanilla Ice Cream

Sometimes life gets in the way of cooking and blogging... By day I work full-time in education. By night and by weekends I squeeze in as much cooking and blogging as I can, but it can be difficult. When I can't blog as much as I'd like to, I get withdrawal symptoms.. I get the itch, the urge.. the need to create. Does anyone else experience this, or do I need professional help?!

This week I had planned to participate in my first Daring Bakers Challenge. For August, the challenge was Baked Alaska / Ice Cream Petit Fours... either way, there was going to be delicious butter pound cake and ice cream made from scratch. I got as far as making the ice cream, but after that the week got a bit stressful.

But nevermind, I'm so glad I made this delicious vanilla ice cream! I've tried many vanilla ice cream recipes in the past, but this one takes the cake (or cone, as it were). It's soft, creamy and perfectly balanced. Definitely a good classic ice cream to have on standby in the freezer.

There are no surprises that this gem of a recipe come from David Lebovitz.. here it is for you to try out for yourself! I hope you love it as much as I do :)

Vanilla Ice Cream
The Perfect Scoop (David Lebovitz)

1 cup full cream milk
pinch salt
3/4 c caster sugar
1 vanilla bean
5 egg yolks
2 cups heavy (approx 35% fat) cream
few drops natural vanilla extract

1. Heat the milk, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk with the tip of a pairing knife. Add the bean pod to the milk.

2. Stir together the egg yolks in a bowl and gradually add some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scarping the bottom with a heat resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Rinse the vanilla bean and put it back into the custard and cream to continue steeping. Chill thoroughly, them remove the vanilla bean and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

I served the ice cream in these lovely mini waffle cones from The Essential Ingredient in Rozelle, Sydney. To give you an idea of the size of these itty-bitty cones, I've photographed them sitting in shot glasses. To scoop ice cream for mini cones, I use a melon baller heated in a cup of hot water.

*** Giveaways Reminder ***

Before I sign off for today, I wanted to remind you about the 2 giveaways I have running at the moment... Have you entered?!!!

The Bakers Delight Giveaway closes on September 8. You could win one of nine $5 Bakers Delight vouchers! For more details, click here.

My 100th post and 1st blog-birthday giveaway closes on September 15. You could win a great cupcake cookbook! Anyone can enter, so for more details, click here.


Ladybird x