Ice Cream Recipe

Warm milk and cream

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, and the vanilla bean (split and seeds scraped) or 1 tsp vanilla extract. Warm over medium heat until it is hot and steaming but not boiling (around 175°F/80°C), stirring occasionally.

Whisk yolks and sugar

While the milk warms, whisk the egg yolks with the granulated sugar and salt in a medium bowl until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened.

Temper eggs

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks in a thin steady stream while whisking constantly to temper. Then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, stirring constantly.

Cook custard

Return saucepan to low-medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spatula and reaches 170–175°F (77–80°C). Do not let it boil or curdle.

Finish custard

Remove from heat and strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits and the vanilla pod. Stir in the remaining 1 cup heavy cream. If using vanilla extract instead of a bean, add 1 tsp now. Cool the custard quickly by placing the bowl in an ice bath and stirring until it is room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled.

After the custard is fully chilled, churn it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches soft-serve consistency (usually 20–30 minutes). Transfer to a freezer-safe container, press a piece of parchment on the surface to prevent ice crystals, and freeze at least 3 hours to firm up. Scoop and serve.

Melt chocolate

Chop the bittersweet chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl. When the custard is warm (after cooking) but still hot, pour about 1 cup of the hot custard over the chopped chocolate and let sit 1 minute, then whisk until smooth to create a chocolate custard. If using cocoa powder, whisk the cocoa with 1–2 tablespoons of the warm custard first to make a smooth paste before adding to the bowl to avoid lumps.

Cool and chill the chocolate custard the same way as the base: strain if necessary, add the remaining cup of heavy cream, cool in an ice bath, then refrigerate until fully chilled (4 hours or overnight). Churn in an ice cream maker following manufacturer instructions. After churning, freeze in a container for at least 3 hours to firm up before serving.

Macerate strawberries

Combine the chopped strawberries, 2 tbs sugar (from the variation ingredients), and 1 tsp lemon juice in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature for 30–45 minutes until the berries release their juices and become syrupy. For a smoother strawberry ice cream, gently purée half of the macerated berries with their juices in a blender or food processor; for a chunkier texture, leave them as is.

Combine with custard

Fold the macerated/puréed strawberries and their juices into the fully chilled base custard until evenly distributed. Chill for an additional 30 minutes if the mixture has warmed during the addition.

Churn the strawberry-custard mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions until it reaches soft-serve consistency. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 3 hours to firm up before serving.