Vanilla Ice Cream, Philadelphia-style

My good friend, E, hosts a homely Christmas get-together each year.  This year, I decided to contribute desserts in the form of brownies as E has been (vigorously) hinting for some.  And since brownies are best eaten with ice cream, I decided to throw in some vanilla ice cream as well (Truth is, I was testing out a new brownie recipe, and the ice-cream was my back-up plan in case the brownies flopped).  As with the brownies, this recipe is taken from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

I chose Philadelphia-style ice cream as I didn't want anything too rich since the brownies are sinful enough.  Unlike the French custard-style, Philadelphia-style ice cream contains no egg yolks and does not require any major cooking. It is based purely on cream, milk and sugar, and is very delicate-tasting.  Perfect with some warm brownies.

Philadelphia-style ice cream tends to become grainy more quickly and is best eaten within a day or two of churning.  Well, I don't foresee any problem in that department, judging from the response on the ice cream.  There's something about homemade ice cream which is bound to draw some oohs and ahhs from the crowd :)

You will need:

3 cups heavy cream, or 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk

¾ cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

1¾ tsp pure vanilla extract

Preparation:

Pour 1 cup of the cream into a medium saucepan and add sugar and salt.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the saucepan and add the pod to the pot.  Warm over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat and add the remaining 2 cups cream (or the remaining 1 cup cream and the milk) and the vanilla extract.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator. When ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean, rinsing and reserving for another use, and then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.