House Made Ice Cream Recipe

Warm dairy

Combine whole milk and 1 cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Add the scraped vanilla bean seeds and pod (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract if using). Warm over medium heat just until tiny bubbles form around the edges and steam rises, stirring occasionally, about 5–7 minutes. Do not boil.

Whisk yolks and sugar

While the milk warms, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar together in a heatproof bowl until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened, about 2–3 minutes. This partially dissolves the sugar and helps create a smooth custard.

Temper eggs

Slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture into the yolk-sugar mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly to temper the eggs and avoid scrambling. Then pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking continuously.

Cook custard

Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon and scraping the bottom, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and registers 170–175°F (77–80°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 5–8 minutes. Do not let it boil.

Finish and chill

Remove from heat. If you used a vanilla bean pod, remove and discard the pod. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits. Cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin and chill in the refrigerator until thoroughly cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Churn

When the custard is fully chilled, set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pour the chilled custard into the ice cream machine and churn until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, typically 20–30 minutes depending on your machine.

Add mix-ins

About 5 minutes before the end of churning, add any desired mix-ins (chopped chocolate, toasted nuts, or 1/2 cup fruit compote) so they are evenly distributed. If adding sauces (fudge ripple or caramel), swirl them in after transferring to a container (see below).

Pack and harden

Transfer the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe container. If adding a ripple, layer a few spoonfuls of ice cream, drizzle sauce, and repeat to create ribbons; gently fold once or twice to keep ribbons visible. Press a piece of parchment or plastic wrap directly onto the surface, seal with a lid, and freeze until firm, at least 3–4 hours for scoopable texture.

Serve

Remove from the freezer 5–10 minutes before scooping to soften slightly. Scoop into bowls or cones. Garnish with additional sauce, chopped nuts, or chocolate if desired.