Vanilla Ice Cream

A basic base from which to build all ice creams with Thanks to Aunt Lucille

I have made homemade ice cream most of my adult life because of the passion that grew from my first taste of homemade ice cream. This is now my go-to recipe.

I was a child under ten, but have never forgotten that taste memory and that stand still moment the first time I tasted Aunt Lucille’s homemade ice cream. I was in her steamy bustling farmhouse kitchen near Clive, Alberta. A massive Hutterite Farm was just across the road.

It was a hot summer Sunday afternoon. Cars were parked what appeared to be haphazardly in the yard, but each under a small section of afternoon shade. Aunt Lucille was peeling what looked like a bushel of potatoes over her sink talking and laughing without missing a swipe watching out the fogged-up window in front of her for late arrivals. Woman entered followed by armies of children, laden with foil covered pots and pyrex that lined the counter and tables; each donned an apron and were vying for space in the ample kitchen.

The apron seemed to define the woman’s place in the kitchen in those days. Aunt Lucille’s was a full on white big apron. Nothing fancy. At all. Signs of wear at the seams, spotless at the beginning of the day, now covered with a little of this and that. A few of the older woman had aprons like that. And a couple of the younger ones. But most had those little half aprons, with frills around the edges. My Aunt Ruby’s jet black hair was pulled straight back in a severe bun and was exactly the same colour as her skimpy little dress. He lips were fire engine red; her spike heals and apron matched. Exactly. These “well-intended” kitchen helpers were not so successful in finding a place near the counter or the sink. My mom always did, and I wondered why she didn’t dress in a more practical manner when she knew she would be helping so much in the kitchen. She wore a light flowery summer dress she had sewn herself, hair set perfectly, makeup Barbie doll quality and her apron did match perfectly: made from dress scraps.

The men were in the living room playing cribbage, grey smoke hovering just above their heads. Most of the children were running wildly around the wrap-a-round porch playing tag. No one dared play in the yard fearing the sting of the honey bees. Aunt Lucille had rows of hives just beyond her garden. My Great grandmother Anderson had a generous one bedroom suite on the main floor, and she was staying out of the way, waiting for dinner. Occasionally yelling at the kids to “slow down out there” through her screen door to the porch.

The potatoes were now atop the wood burning stove in a stock pot bigger than I have ever seen and the clean up was done. This was the quiet before the meal. I loved this time. Aunties and cousins peeked under foil wrapped dishes oooing and ahhhing and chattering about how this was made or what they really wanted to bring. Aunt Lucille waved my mom over to the freezer in the fridge, opened a large metal container and dipped in a teaspoon for her to taste. I couldn’t see what it was. But, I heard her start to moan, and Aunt Lucille immediately shushed her before others noticed. Mom turned and pulled me over to taste. Finger to her lips. I had never seen such yellow ice cream. Only white, pink and brown. I shook my head. Of course I wanted to taste it, but I was so painfully shy, no was my first response. Aunt Lucille got into the act and scooped out a huge spoonful of the frozen eggy custard ice cream. I took a tiny little lick when she handed me the spoon. I could feel the blood in my face. She had me sit on a chair, sliding a bowl under it. “You just enjoy that while we finish up here.” and she turned her back leaving me alone.

No one was paying any attention. I put the spoonful halfway into my mouth and let it rest there a minute, then slide it out slowly. The Jersey fresh milky cream flavour was like nothing I knew. The yellow eggy custard laden with vanilla flavoured farm fresh cream was… it was… well, I remember to this day the impression it made on me. The kitchen blurred into a whir of colour and noise and my little bubble of air on that chair was frozen in time as I licked my spoon like a kitten working at lapping up milk from a dish for the first time. Then it was gone. I put the spoon on the plate. I knew how rude it would be to tuck my finger into the saucer to get that last drop. Eyeing the crowd. Heart in my throat. I sat. I savored that flavour and texture and cold silky feeling.

Dinner was eventually served. The men filled their plates first and went back to the living room, eating off their laps. The children were sat at the big tables in the kitchen and the dining room. After the first two loads of dishes, the woman ate. I don’t know when they served dessert, but I am sure they did sometime much later in the afternoon. I do remember that I never got any. I remember to this day that I never got any. There were pies everywhere. All kinds of homemade pies. I think by the time the children got dessert, there was only cookies left. The ice cream and pies were gone. I wanted more of my Aunt Lucille’s ice cream. But, it was gone.

Maybe that is why I have had a “thing” for  ice cream. I certainly can tell a good one from one that is industrially churned. Maybe I have always been on the quest to find one as good as hers. I think this one is it. I never did get to taste her famous homemade ice-cream every again. I am so thankful that I got to taste it once.

With the memory of Aunt Lucille’s homemade vanilla ice cream and those wonderful sunny Sunday dinners in her old farmhouse kitchen near Clive, Alberta, I give you my vanilla ice cream recipe!

Please use the freshest whole milk. the yellowest most lovely free range eggs and the richest cream you can find.

 

Vanilla Ice Cream

About 2 quarts

For a richer custard, you can add up to 3 more egg yolks. For a less-rich custard, substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream, realizing that the final texture won’t be as rich or as smooth as if using cream.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole milk (330g)
• 1/4  teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2   cup sugar (225g)
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• 4 cups (500ml) heavy cream
• 12 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan
2. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk
3. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks
5. Reheat the milk, then temper the yolks by gradually pouring some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly, then pour the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan
6. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.
7. Strain the custard into the heavy cream; stir over an ice bath until cool
8. Add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly: preferably overnight
9. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: Used vanilla beans can be rinsed and dried, then stored in a bin of sugar. That sugar can be used for baking and, of course, for future ice cream making.

Instructions for using the Thermomix:

1. Scale the milk, salt, and sugar in the TM bowl and heat to 80 C for 10 minutes at speed 2-3
2. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk
3. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour
4. Set the time for 15 to 18 minutes, temperature to 80 C and speed on reverse 2-3; reheat the milk, then add each of the yolks to the warmed milk once the temperature reaches 50 C, one at a time, within about 2 minutes
5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream sitting on ice; stir over the ice bath until cool
6. Add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly: preferably overnight
7. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: Used vanilla beans can be rinsed and dried, then stored in a bin of sugar. That sugar can be used for baking and, of course, for future ice cream making.

Alternate Flavours:

• Pistachio: 2 tablespoons Pistachio Paste during the steeping time; mix in first
• Lavender: 3-5 drops of pure Lavender essence oil during the steeping time