Vanilla Ice Cream

This weekend we got a new toy at our house! I’ve wanted an ice cream maker for a while now but haven’t really been able to justify it. I always thought I’d never use it enough to make it a worthwhile purchase. I’ve been spending enough time in the kitchen in the past 6 months, however, that I figured I could finally make the leap and pick up my ice cream machine. I went with the Cuisinart because it was reasonably priced and got rave reviews everywhere I looked. Last night I set out to make my first batch of ice cream. I only had the machine’s instruction book and the internet at my disposal for recipes (I’ve since picked up this book). I decided to go with the simplest possible recipe in the hopes that I wouldn’t screw it up and get discouraged immediately. This vanilla ice cream recipe came from the instruction booklet and contains only 4 ingredients. It was fantastic! The texture was wonderful and the vanilla flavor was just right. I wound up using closer to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract than 1 and found that was just right for us. I’m looking forward to using this recipe as a base for mix-ins and additions!

Vanilla Ice Cream
from Cuisinart

1 cup whole milk, well chilled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, to taste

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes on low speed. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla to taste. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes 10 1/2 cup servings.