Simple Vanilla Ice Cream

- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2½cups light cream, half-and-half or milk (whole or skim), or a combination
- ½cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3tablespoons cornstarch
Preparation
- Step 1
Put 2 cups cream, half-and-half or milk, the sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. If using a vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and scrape seeds into liquid, then add pod. Cook until mixture begins to steam.
- Step 2
In a bowl, blend cornstarch and remaining cream, half-and-half or milk; there should be no lumps. Remove bean pod from pot and discard. Add cornstarch mixture to pot. Cook, stirring, until it starts to thicken and barely reaches a boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately reduce heat to very low and stir for 5 minutes or so until thick. Stir in vanilla extract, if using.
- Step 3
If mixture has lumps, strain it into a bowl. Chill until cool, a couple of hours (you can skip this step if you have a machine with a built-in freezer). When cool or if there are no lumps, pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Private Notes
Comments
I love this recipe! For my little Cuisinart ice cream maker I used this recipe and 1/2 more. I am lactose intolerant so I used Organic Valley lactose-free half and half, and it turned out amazing. I found it at Sprouts. When it almost finished I added fresh strawberries that I had cut in small pieces and it gave it a great strawberry flavor. It took about 25 minutes. I definitely will use this recipe to make other great ice cream flavors. Thanks so much!!
This recipe would have been amazing if you left the corn starch out, I know you were going for the texture but it ruined the aftertaste.
Smoother texture than an egg-based recipe, but be advised that cornstarch adds a flavor that takes away from the vanilla (IMO). This would probably be better as a base for a stronger flavor like chocolate.
Corn starch is the basic thickener for Sicilian gelato and if you cook it properly and use the correct amount you don’t taste it at all. I guess if you were adventurous you could try arrowroot or go with a seaweed based thickener like they do commercially instead of eggs. But this is a solid recipe and very similar to some gelato recipes.
This is a great recipe. I cut the cornstarch in half and the sugar down to just shy of a half cup. Easy and delicious!
Tasty after adding peaches & banana to the finished ice cream. However, not a " simple recipe" because it must be cooked & cooled. A "simple" recipe is a can of sweetened condensed milk, milk of choice & vanilla; just stir & pour into the ice cream maker.