Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Food

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Split vanilla beans lengthwise with a sharp paring knife. Gently scrape out all the seeds.
• Place vanilla-bean scrapings and pods in a medium saucepan with milk. Scald the mixture, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep for 30 minutes.
• Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Alternatively, whisk together in a medium bowl.
• Return milk to stove, and bring just to a simmer. Using a measuring cup or ladle, slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot-milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly on low speed until blended. Keep adding milk mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it has all been added. Whisk until combined.
• Pour mixture back into saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. The custard should retain a line drawn across the back of the spoon with your finger.
• Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Remove pan from heat, and immediately stir in chilled cream to stop the custard from cooking. Pour through a mesh sieve into a medium bowl set in the ice bath, and stir occasionally until cooled. (Discard vanilla-bean pod and strained seeds.) Stir vanilla extract into cooled custard. Cover bowl, and transfer to refrigerator until chilled, at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Pour custard into an ice-cream maker, following the manufacturer's instructions. Churn until the ice cream is just set, but not hard.
• Transfer soft ice cream to an airtight plastic container; freeze at least 4 hours and up to 1 week.
• If you don't have an ice-cream maker, you can still make ice-cream. After you have made up your mixture, transfer it to a lidded plastic box (a shallow one enables the freezing to happen more quickly and also makes whisking easier as the beater can go down straight into the box) and put it in the coldest part of the freezer for two hours, or until the contents become firm at the edges. At this stage, empty out the box into a mixing bowl and whisk the ice cream with an electric hand whisk to break down the ice crystals. Return the box to the freezer and freeze for another two hours, then repeat the whisking process. Refreeze the ice-cream ( if making a sorbet that contains a generous quantity of alcohol, freeze overnight ) until 30-45 minutes before you want to serve it, at which time you should transfer it into the fridge to soften. Incidentally, it's a good idea to arm yourself with a digital kitchen timer to remind you to remove the ice cream and whip it at various stages.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Heat half-and-half and 2 cups sugar in a saucepan over low heat, adding vanilla "caviar" to the mixture. (You can also drop in the scraped vanilla bean, just to extract all the flavor. Make sure to discard the bean before moving to the next step.) Turn off heat when mixture is totally heated. Beat egg yolks by hand or with an electric mixer until yolks are pale yellow and slightly thick. Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling into the 1 1/2 cups of hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. After that, pour the egg yolk/half-and-half mixture into the pan containing the rest of the half-and-half mixture. Cook over low to medium-low heat (depending on how hot your stove gets) until quite thick, stirring constantly. Drain custard using a fine mesh strainer, then pour into a bowl with the heavy cream. Stir to combine.Chill mixture completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker until thick. Place container in freezer to harden for at least eight hours. Serve with something chocolate. Enjoy!

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM BASE

Steps:

• To make the vanilla ice cream: Combine the cream, milk, salt, and 2 cups of the sugar in a large pot. Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife; add them to the pot and toss in the pods for added flavor. Place the cream mixture over medium heat, and bring up to a simmer; stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Ideally, the temperature should reach 175 degrees F (just below scalding) for a smooth-textured ice cream; this should take about 15 minutes. Shut off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the cream mixture to steep for 15 minutes to further infuse the vanilla flavor.
• In the meantime, combine the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and blend them lightly with a wire whisk. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and continue to whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved and the eggs are thick and pale yellow; about 6 minutes.
• Using a large ladle or measuring cup, temper the eggs by gradually whisking in about 4 cups of the hot cream mixture. Return this back to the rest of the cream in the saucepan and turn the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly until the custard thickens and leaves a path on the back of a spoon when you run your finger across it, about 10 to 12 minutes (do not let boil.)
• Pour the vanilla custard through a fine strainer into another pot* and chill completely in a sink full of ice, stirring here and there; this should take about 1 hour. Ideally, let the ice cream base "age" overnight in the refrigerator before churning in an ice cream maker to improve the flavor and texture of the final product ¿ but it is still good if you decide to process it right away. Divide the ice cream into quarts** and churn each in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. When done, the ice cream will be the consistency of "soft serve." ***To harden the ice cream fully, freeze in plastic covered containers.
• Flavor Variations:
• *To make the Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream: Heat 3/4 up of milk in a pot over medium-low heat. Add 12 ounces of the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted. Pour 1 quart of the strained hot vanilla ice cream base into the melted chocolate and stir until very well incorporated. Chill and process as directed in the master recipe. Fold in the remaining 4 ounces of chopped chocolate after churning while the ice cream is in the "soft-serve" stage. Churn another 1 to 2 minutes just until combined.
• **To make the Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream: Mix the strawberry preserves into the vanilla custard just before you start churning in the ice cream maker. Add the pieces of strawberry cheesecake and fresh strawberries after churning while the ice cream is in the "soft-serve" stage. Continue to churn for an additional 5 minutes or until combined but still chunky.
• ***To make the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream: Add the pieces of cookie dough after churning while the ice cream is in the "soft-serve" stage. Continue to churn for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until combined but still chunky.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of boiling water, being careful not to let the water touch the bottom of the bowl and stir constantly until just melted.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, salt, and melted chocolate until completely combined.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the heavy cream in a slow, steady stream, mixing until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add half of the whipped cream to the sweetened condensed milk mixture and whisk until completely combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream mixture until no streaks remain.
• Pour into a 9 by 4 by 4 in [23 by 10 by 10 cm] Pullman pan or 9 in [23 cm] loaf pan and freeze until firm, 6 hours, or, covered, up to 1 week.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, baking vanilla, peppermint extract, salt, and green food coloring until completely combined.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the heavy cream in a slow, steady stream, mixing until combined. Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add half of the whipped cream to the sweetened condensed milk mixture and whisk until completely combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining whipped cream mixture until no streaks remain.
• Pour the mixture into a 9 by 4 by 4 in [23 by 10 by 10 cm] Pullman pan or 9 in [23 cm] loaf pan and freeze until firm, 6 hours, or, covered, up to 1 week.
• Let the frozen Chocolate and Peppermint ice cream sit out at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes (this makes it easier to scoop).
• Line a 9 by 4 by 4 in [23 by 10 by 10 cm] Pullman pan with parchment paper.
• Place the cookies in the bowl of a food processor and process until broken down into fine crumbs. Move the crumbs to a medium bowl and pour the melted butter over the top. Use a spatula to stir together until combined.
• Use a measuring cup or the bottom of a small glass to press half of the cooled crumbs evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Top the crumbs with the chocolate ice cream, filling the pan halfway, pressing it into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining cookie crumbs evenly over the ice cream and top with the Peppermint Ice Cream, filling the pan to the top (you will have some ice cream leftover). Place the ice cream cake in the freezer and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight before topping with meringue.
• Put about an inch of water in a medium saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt to combine. Place the bowl over the saucepan, being careful not to let the water touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula until the sugar is completely melted and reaches a temperature of 160°F, 4 to 5 minutes. While you are stirring, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with the spatula-this will ensure no sugar grains are lurking on the sides and it also helps prevent the egg whites from cooking.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and place it in the stand mixer fitted with a whisk. Whisk on medium-high until stiff, glossy peaks form, 8 to 10 minutes. The bowl should have cooled down to room temperature at this point. Add the vanilla bean paste and beat until combined.
• Use the parchment sling to gently remove the cake from the loaf pan. Working quickly, remove the parchment paper and set the loaf cake on a serving platter.
• Use a spatula to spread the meringue evenly over the top of the ice cream cake and, if desired, use a spoon to create curls. Hold a kitchen blowtorch 1 or 2 inches away from the cake and touch the flame down in between the curls. The curls will toast and brown (if the curls set on fire, you can blow them out). Slice the cake and serve immediately. (Because this is ice cream, an oven broiler won't work here to toast the meringue - you will just have a melted puddle. If you don't have a blow torch, you can serve the cake without toasting it - it will still taste delicious.) Top with naturally colored crushed candied peppermints if desired.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• 1. Combine the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla beans, and extract in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until hot but not boiling, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Carefully remove vanilla beans and scrape the softened seeds from the pods back into the saucepan; discard pods.
• 2. Place yolks in a bowl and whisk constantly, slowly pouring in 1 cup of the hot-milk mixture. Continue to whisk until smooth.
• 3. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking constantly until well combined. Place saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (6 to 8 minutes); it should never boil. Strain mixture into a bowl. Cool to room temperature, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla bean with pulp. Bring to a simmer.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid to the egg yolks in a slow stream, gradually whisking to combine, until smooth.
• Add the yolk mixture to the saucepan of liquid and whisk until incorporated. Bring the liquid back to simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
• Pour the mixture into a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture. This will prevent a skin from forming while cooling.
• Cool the mixture completely. Process the mixture according the ice cream machines instructions.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Combine the heavy cream, milk, and vanilla pod and seeds in a large saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, then remove from the heat.
• Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Ladle half of the cream mixture into the egg mixture and whisk to combine; return to the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon in a figure-8 motion, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes.
• Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a blender; discard the vanilla pod. Puree until frothy, about 30 seconds; pour back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Transfer the chilled custard to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a resealable container and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

VANILLA NICE CREAM WITH REAL VANILLA BEAN

Steps:

• Using a small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean.
• In a food processor combine vanilla seeds, frozen bananas, and ¼ cup of the milk. Cover and process until smooth, adding as much of the remaining milk as needed.
• Serve immediately for a soft-serve ice cream or freeze at least 4 hours for a scoopable ice cream. Store in the freezer for up to 1 week.

VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• With a knife halve vanilla beans lengthwise. Scrape seeds into a large heavy saucepan and stir in pods, cream, milk, and sugar. Bring mixture just to a boil, stirring occasionally, and remove pan from heat.
• In a large bowl lightly beat eggs. Add hot cream mixture to eggs in a slow stream, whisking, and pour into pan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a thermometer registers 170°F. (Do not let boil.) Pour custard through a sieve into a clean bowl and cool. Chill custard, its surface covered with wax paper, at least 3 hours, or until cold, and up to 1 day.
• Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker, in 2 batches if necessary. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.