Ice cream is one of those things that is just better when it’s homemade (unless you’re buying Ben & Jerry’s and then well…. who can compete with that…).
French Vanilla ice cream is especially enticing and requires making a thin custard before freezing. the extra work is worth it along with a homemade fudge sauce recipe.
French Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3/4 cup hot milk
3/4 cup cold milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
1. In the top pan of a double boiler ( purchased –T-fal B1399663 Specialty Stainless Steel Double Boiler with Phenolic Handle Cookware or homemade), whisk together the yolks, sugar, and salt. Slowly add the hot milk.
2. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly until it reaches about 165 degrees.
3. Stir in the cold milk. Then add the vanilla and heavy cream.
4. Refrigerate the mixture for 2-3 hours.
5. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the instructions for your machine.
6. Transfer ice cream to a glass container or bowl of some sort and freeze for an additional hour or so. You can eat it right out of the machine, but it might not be “scooping” consistency.
The beauty of this recipe is that it is scoop-able. Not all recipes call for eggs and not all require the cooking part upfront, but if you want a true, store-bought consistency that you can scoop, a recipe like this is necessary.
Homemade Fudge Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter – softened
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, salt, and water. (The cocoa will be tough to incorporate, just work at it.)
2. Cook over medium heat until it boils. Then cook for a minute longer. Make sure you’re stirring constantly, especially after it starts to boil.
3. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter.
4. Use immediately or cool in the fridge.