Vanilla Ice Cream Made Easy

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Photo: The Skinny Chef

When I was a kid, ice cream was synonymous with summer. I had a trained ear and could pick out the perky chimes of the ice cream truck from miles away. Ice cream is a cool, satisfying summer treat, but a scoop a day can keep the bikini away.

Most people don't know that one pint of many commercial ice creams contains more fat than you should eat in a whole day. That doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy this calcium-rich treat. Making your own is immensely satisfying, and without having to worry about loading up on fat and calories while avoiding crazy preservatives that no one can pronounce.

Get Jennifer's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe after the jump.

It's so much fun to make your own ice cream and once you learn how to temper eggs, you can experiment with some pretty wild flavors. I covet my neighbor's fancy ice cream maker, but with its not so sweet price tag of $500, I'm content with my Krups version at just $70. I just keep the insert in my freezer so it's always ready to go any time I want to churn up a new creation.

Vanilla Ice Cream Base

3 cups 1-percent milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated white sugar

Place the milk, vanilla and of the add-ins listed below in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a slow boil over medium high heat. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks until very smooth, about 1 minute. Temper the eggs by adding a 1/2 cup of the milk into the egg mixture while stirring constantly until well combined. Repeat. Add the remaining milk mixture and whisk until smooth.

Return the milk mixture to the saucepan and heat over medium low, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid coats the back of a spoon -- about 4 to 5 minutes -- do not boil. Refrigerate covered for one hour until cool then transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Add-ins: Try one of these add-ins to make your flavor special -- like 1 tablespoon of culinary lavender flower buds, the seeds scraped from one whole vanilla bean, 1 teaspoon of your favorite finely ground coffee plus a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or cayenne chili, or 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped basil leaves and 1/2 cup of blueberries or raspberries.

Learn more about Jennifer at skinnychef.com, and read her exclusive Slashfood blogs every Monday and Friday.