Vanilla Ice Cream

I know most people probably think about making ice cream in the summer, but not me! I personally love having vanilla ice cream in the fall and winter because I think it goes perfectly with all those wonderful desserts.  Who doesn't love a slice of apple pie or some apple crisp with with a serving of vanilla ice cream? I recently made this ice cream and it was the perfect accompaniment to the baked apples with crumb topping I shared last week.

I actually chose this recipe because I didn't have any vanilla beans and a lot of recipes for ice cream call for at least one vanilla bean.  I will admit that I was a little wary that the ice cream would have an artificial flavor because I used vanilla extract, but it definitely did not!  This ice cream is everything you want from a traditional vanilla ice cream-it's perfectly smooth and creamy and has a really nice vanilla flavor to it. 

I think this ice cream is a great addition to any holiday dessert table. I can't believe we are already in week 6 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats blog hop! Now that Halloween has come and gone and we are a bit further into fall, I am really beginning to look forward to the holidays.  Thank you again to Brenda from Meal Planning Magic for hosting this fun Christmas blog hop!

Vanilla Ice Cream

2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely incorporated, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream, milk, and vanilla and whisk to blend.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

Alternatively, if you prefer to heat the eggs, you can use the custard method of preparation.  To do so, heat the milk in a saucepan just until not quite boiling.  Gradually pour the milk into the egg-sugar mixture, whisking constantly so you don't cook the eggs.  Pour mixture back into saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula and scrapping the bottom of the saucepan.  Once the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, remove from heat.  Strain the mixture into a large bowl and whisk in the cream and vanilla extract.  Chill completely in the refrigerator or freezer before adding to the ice cream maker. 

Source: slightly adapted from cdkitchen