Vanilla Ice Cream (Philadelphia Style)

Source: New York Times Aug. 12, 2015

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream, preferably organic and not ultrapasteurized
• 2 cups half & half, or 1 cup additional heavy cream plus 1 cup whole milk
• ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seed scraped out with tip of sharp knife
• 1 cup sugar, or ¾ c. light corn syrup, more to taste
• ½ tsp salt, more to taste

Method

1. In a saucepan or a microwave-safe container, combine cream, half & half and vanilla bean and seeds. On the stove or in the microwave bring mixture to a simmer. Immediately turn off heat.

2. Add sugar or corn syrup and salt and mix until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Taste and add more sugar and salt as needed to balance the flavors. The mixture should taste slightly too sweet when warm; the sweetness will be muter when the ice cream is frozen.

3. Strain mixture into a container and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

4. Churn mixture in an ice cream maker according to instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and let freeze until hard.

Notes

This is easy and delicious and the texture stays good over time.