My First Ice Cream!

Yum.
(Picture Courtesty of Ryan Mak)

I got an ice cream attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer. I've had it since Christmas so even though its still Winter it was definitely time to use it. Ryan and I made Stracciatella ice cream...basically vanillia with bits of chocolate running through it.  Once again, I used a vanilla bean (from Whole Foods). I've really liked using the vanilla beans. They make everything taste very vanilla-y and make your hands smell good when you are baking with them. The recipe was pretty easy to make...the hard part was waiting for it to cool before putting it in the ice cream maker and then also waiting for it to harden in the freezer. Not easy to do! Here is the recipe...

Stracciatella Ice Cream

adapted from David Lebovitz

Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
6 large egg yolks
3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Combine milk, sugar, and 1 cup cream in a heavy saucepan. With tip of a knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into mixture, then add vanilla bean to pot as well. Bring mixture just to a boil, whisking until sugar has dissolved, then remove from heat. Cover and let stand 30 minutes.
2. Reheat cream mixture over medium heat, stirring, until hot. 
3. Whisk yolks in a medium bowl, then add half of hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly, then pour yolk mixture into remaining cream mixture in saucepan, whisking. 
4. Cook custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard is thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170 to 175°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil).
   Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. 
5. Stir in vanilla and remaining cup cream, then return vanilla pod to mixture. Chill, uncovered, until cool, then chill, covered, at least 6 hours. 
6. Remove vanilla pod and freeze custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
   While ice cream is freezing, melt chocolate in clean metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring frequently, then transfer to a small ziploc bag. 
7. When ice cream has finished churning, carefully cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle chocolate in a slow stream directly onto ice cream as it churns and continue to churn 30 seconds (chocolate will harden in steaks). 
8. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.