Vanilla ice cream is my favorite, despite my forays into other flavors. This ice cream is super simple, requires no cooking and is reading to eat in no time.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs (organic is best)
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 squares (about 2 ounces) Scharffen Berger 70% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar
This comes in 9.7 ounce bar and is divided into five big pieces. You can use the smaller 6 ounce bar, but the bigger chunks are better for slivering and, ounce for ounce, it’s a little less expensive.
Preparation:
Whisk egg yolks until frothy, then gradually beat in sugar, making sure the mixture is smooth. A hand whisk is fine for the task.
Combine milk, cream, and vanilla extract in a small bowl, then whisk into the egg mixture. You may be tempted to add more vanilla extract but I advise against it. The vanilla extract seems to get stronger when frozen and can be a bit overwhelming.
Add to an ice cream maker and prepare according to the instructions. This should take about 25–30 minutes. While the ice cream is churning, slice slivers of chocolate off the chocolate pieces. I like to vary the sizes of the slivers. Tiny slivers and bigger chunks are more fun to eat than uniform pieces! Freeze the pieces until the ice cream is almost done. When there is about 2 minutes to go, gradually add the chocolate until fully mixed with the ice cream. You can eat the ice cream immediately and it will have a soft serve consistency, or freeze until it is harder. Yields a little over 1 quart.
