Pint Recipe

Heat milk and cream

In a medium saucepan, combine whole milk and heavy cream. If using a vanilla bean, split it lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the milk/cream and add the pod. Warm over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear at the edges and steam rises — do not boil. Remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes for vanilla bean, then remove the pod.

Whisk egg yolks and sugar

While the milk steeps, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar together in a bowl until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened (ribbon stage), about 1–2 minutes.

Temper the yolks

Slowly ladle 1/3 of the warm milk mixture into the whisked yolks in a steady stream while whisking constantly to temper. This brings the yolks up to temperature without curdling.

Cook custard

Return the tempered yolk mixture to the saucepan with the remaining milk and set over low to medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom, until the custard thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon (an internal temperature of about 170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not let it boil.

Finish and season

Remove from heat. Stir in the fine sea salt and, if using vanilla extract instead of a bean, add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract now. If making chocolate custard, whisk the cocoa powder into the warm custard until fully incorporated and smooth, or whisk in melted chocolate. For coffee flavor, whisk in 1 tablespoon espresso. For strawberry or other fruit—do not cook into the base here; fold in fruit puree later (see mix-ins).

Strain and cool

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl to remove any curdled bits or vanilla pod remnants. Place the bowl in an ice bath (bowl sitting over ice and cold water) and stir occasionally until the custard is cold, about 20–30 minutes. If you used chocolate chips for swirls, reserve them for later; if you added melted chocolate, ensure mixture is smooth and cooled.

Prepare fruit or purees

If using strawberry puree, mash or blitz fresh strawberries and strain if you prefer a smoother texture. Sweeten lightly if needed. Chill the puree before folding into custard.

Fold in mix-ins

Once the custard base is fully cooled, divide the base if making more than one flavor. Gently fold in chosen mix-ins: 0.5 cup chopped chocolate or chips for chocolate chunks, 0.75 cup cookie crumbs for cookie swirls, 0.75 cup strawberry puree for fruit flavor, or 0.25 cup caramel sauce for ribbons. Do not overmix — you want ribbons and chunks, not complete uniform blending (unless desired).

Chocolate option (if using cocoa powder only)

If you added 2 tablespoons cocoa powder earlier, whisk thoroughly while warm so the cocoa dissolves; after cooling, taste and adjust sweetness if needed and then proceed to freeze.

Churn (optional but recommended)

If you have an ice cream maker, churn the cooled custard according to manufacturer instructions until it reaches a soft-serve/frozen-yogurt consistency (usually 20–30 minutes). This yields smoother frozen custard with less ice crystals. If you do not have an ice cream maker, skip to layering and freezing.

Layer into pint container

Transfer the churned custard directly into a clean pint container. If you did not churn, pour the cooled custard (with mix-ins folded in) into the pint container. For sauces or ribbons (caramel, fruit), spoon alternating layers and swirl gently with a skewer to create ribbons.

Smooth and cover

Smooth the top with a spatula, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to minimize ice crystal formation, and seal with an airtight lid.

Harden in freezer

Freeze until firm, at least 4–6 hours for a firm pint; overnight is best for a scoopable, fully set texture. For best texture, remove from freezer 5–10 minutes before scooping to soften slightly.

Label the pint with flavor and date. Store in the coldest part of your freezer for up to 2 weeks for best quality; texture may degrade after longer storage due to ice crystal growth.