Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I finally got the KitchenAid Stand Mixer attachment I've been wanting for a while now - the coveted Ice Cream maker attachment - and at such a steal too during an Amazon sale - which was a good $20 less than the regular "sale" price! With free shipping, I couldn't resist.

My first batch of ice cream had to be the classic and beloved Vanilla. This turned out so wonderful, beautifully-flecked with vanilla and had such a rich, creamy flavor, a little went a long way...spectacular! I give this attachment (and the following Vanilla ice cream recipe) two big thumbs way up!

Vanilla Ice Cream
Recipe Courtesy of David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop
Ingredients

1 cup milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean
5 egg yolks
2 cup heavy cream
A few drops of 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 paring 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 scraping 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, then remove the vanilla bean and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.