Ice Cream Recipe

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1 ⅓ cups half & half
4 egg yolks
½ cup sugar or coconut sugar

1 ⅓ cups heavy cream

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla, or preferred flavor

*You can make this dairy-free by replacing the half & half with dairy free milk & replacing the heavy cream with ¾ cup nut or seed butter blended in a blender with ½ cup of the dairy-free milk

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1. Set up a double boiler. Set up a 4-quart saucepan, filled halfway with water, into which you can nestle a 3-quart stainless steel bowl. Bring the pot of water to a boil over high heat while you're preparing the custard base. 

2. Cook the base. In the 3-quart stainless steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks & sugar until thoroughly combined, then whisk in the half & half. Adjust the temperature under the pot of boiling water to maintain a gentle simmer. Set the bowl of custard base over the simmering water & whisk frequently, scraping down the sides of the bowl regularly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens noticeably, about 5 minutes. The custard is sufficiently cooked when it reaches 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. (You can also test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the custard, then running your finger through the custard; if the line holds clearly, the custard has thickened sufficiently). For the finest texture, pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a similar size stainless steel bowl. (I only do this if I'm doing a chile infusion or something into the ice cream).

3. Cool the base. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice. Nestle a smaller bowl into the ice & pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer into the bowl in the ice bath. Whisk the mixture until it's completely cool. Refrigerate if not using immediately.

4. Finishing the base, freeze the ice cream. Stir the heavy cream, vanilla or whatever flavor you want, into the base. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to the manufacturer's directions. Scrape into a freezer container & freeze several hours to firm.

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Enjoy!