Vanilla Ice Cream

I was contemplating on whether or not to purchase Madagascar vanilla beans from my local spice store when, as luck would have it, I won a kick ass giveaway from Michelle (All Home Cooking. All Year Long) and it included not just one but THREE of those exact vanilla beans.  My contemplation behind me, I got one killer idea.  Why not use one of those beans and make vanilla ice cream!!!  YAY!  What a great idea Jenn...you are a genius!  And it doesn't stop there...I not only got to use this wonderful vanilla bean but I also got to use some amazingly good vanilla extract:  Michelle's very own, homemade pure vanilla extract!!

Anyway...so with these two fantastic ingredients, I knew right away I was going to make a batch of vanilla ice cream.  This recipe is simple.  That's all you need to know.  There are no eggs involved, so the process is quick.  There are 5 ingredients.  Uhmm...yea... simple, see.  I will admit to you, though, this was the first time I've ever actually had to use a real vanilla bean.  I was worried about scraping out the little seeds, but it really wasn't that tough.  I would suggest putting the bean on top of some wax paper, though.  That way you can drop the little amounts of the seeds on there and then just transfer right to the pot.  They tend to stick a bit to your fingers and you don't want to loose anything...that's good stuff you'd have to wash down the sink!!  Also, don't throw away that precious pod either.  Put it in a jar with an air tight lid and cover with sugar for homemade vanilla sugar.  Place the pod in your coffee container to add a bit of a vanilla flavor to your morning blend.  The point is, don't let them go to waste!

The ice cream came out perfect!  This was by far our favorite ice cream so far!!  It's pure decadence.  Creamy and rich.  It's almost sinful.  ALMOST!!

Vanilla Ice Cream
Recipe courtesy The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Ingredients:
3 cups heavy cream (or 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk)
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Pour 1 cup of cream into a medium saucepan and add sugar and salt.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the saucepan and add the pod to the pot.  Warm over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove from heat and add the remaining 2 cups cream and vanilla extract.  Chill the mixture in the refrigerator thoroughly (I let mine sit in there for over 4 hours).  When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing and reserving for another use.  Mix ice cream in an ice cream maker according to the manufactures instructions.  Enjoy....oh and you will!!!

This is what it looked like right from the ice cream maker.....perfect!!

 YUM!