Vanilla Ice Cream, Philadelphia-Style

When the weather finally turned into sunshine and spring a month or so ago, I jumped at the chance to make homemade ice cream. I love the rich vanilla flavor and super smooth texture of homemade ice cream. This is my hubby’s favorite vanilla recipe – Philadelphia-style, made with milk and cream, with no egg yolks (unlike my perfered French-style ice cream). While we each have our preferences, it doesn’t really matter which type I make – one batch will be gone before I have the time to make another.

Clearly I adored the photos I took of my little model, and had to include them in this post! I was astonished that she was so enthusiastic about the ice cream – up until now, she could care less about ice cream and when we got her to taste some, she spit out every single sprinkle that made it into her mouth.

I can’t help it – she’s just too cute. There’s a simple shot of just the ice cream below. There was quite a bit of hand-swatting to keep the little one away from it!   🙂

Like this post? Come back on Friday to see a roundup of more than two dozen ice cream, sorbet, etc. recipes from other bloggers!

Vanilla Ice Cream, Philadelphia-Style

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebowitz (p. 25)

Makes 1 Quart

Ingredients:

• 3 c. heavy cream (or 2 c. heavy cream + 1 c. whole milk)
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine 1 c. heavy cream, sugar, and salt. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape out seeds. Add both seeds and pod to pot. Cool, stirring regularly, until sugar is melted.

Remove from heat and stir in remaining heavy cream and vanilla extract. Allow to cool slightly before moving to a fridge to chill for a few hours.

Remove vanilla bean pods (reserving for other uses, if desired – see tip below) and transfer to ice cream make, processing according to manufacturer’s instructions. (My Cuisinart ice cream maker called for 15-20 minutes – I processed it for 20 minutes for a thicker consistency.)

Tip: Vanilla beans can be used a few times before completely losing their flavor. In this case, after using the vanilla bean pod, allow to dry on a paper towel and add to a container of sugar to flavor sugar. Or, add to an existing container of vanilla extract.