Ice Cream Recipe

Warm the dairy

Pour the whole milk and heavy cream into a medium saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and the pinch of salt. Warm the mixture over medium heat until it steams and small bubbles form at the edges (do not boil), about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Whisk yolks and sugar

While the milk warms, combine the egg yolks and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and slightly paler, about 1–2 minutes.

Temper eggs

Slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. This raises the yolks' temperature without scrambling them.

Finish the custard

Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula and scraping the bottom, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon (an instant-read thermometer should read 170–175°F / 77–80°C). Do not let it boil.

Strain and cool

Remove the pan from heat and strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked bits. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the bowl in an ice bath (or in the refrigerator) and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to speed cooling. Once cool, cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Churn

Once the custard is thoroughly chilled, follow your ice cream maker's instructions to churn. Typically, pour the custard into the frozen machine bowl and churn until it reaches soft-serve consistency, about 20–30 minutes depending on machine.

Add mix-ins

If using mix-ins (chocolate, nuts, fruit swirls), add them in the last 2–5 minutes of churning so they are evenly distributed. For a swirl, layer spoonfuls of jam while transferring churned ice cream to the storage container and gently ripple with a spatula—do not overmix or the swirl will disappear.

Harden

Transfer the churned ice cream to an airtight container, press a piece of parchment directly on the surface to minimize ice crystals, and freeze for at least 4 hours (preferably 6–8 hours) to firm up to scoopable consistency.

Chopped chocolate or chips: if you prefer small shards, roughly chop a cup of chocolate or use chips. Add during the last 2–5 minutes of churning so they distribute evenly and harden slightly in the cold ice cream.

Toasted nuts: toast nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and lightly browned, 4–6 minutes. Cool completely, chop if desired, and add in the last few minutes of churning or fold in before final freeze.

Fruit swirl: warm jam slightly to make it pourable (microwave 10–20 seconds). When transferring churned ice cream to the storage container, spoon dollops of jam and gently ripple with a knife or spatula to create streaks; avoid overmixing.