After making a number of ice cream recipes that did not turn out well, I dug into the "science" of making ice cream at home. Eventually I happened upon a PDF of the introduction to "How to Make Ice Cream," an out-of-print book published by The Cook's Illustrated Library, and put together this recipe from what it taught me. The recipe below is for vanilla, but you can adapt it to make lots of different flavors. - Tammy —Tammy
When we first read Tammy’s recipe, we were slightly intimidated by the use of temperatures, as we tend to rely on sight and feel when it comes to making ice cream. When the method worked perfectly, we realized that these details are really helpful for people who don’t have much experience with custards. Tammy’s recipe makes a perfect, fragrant and not-too-sweet vanilla ice cream, and she gives you the option to add your own flavors in the last step. After tasting the vanilla, we decided to play around, by folding in 1/ 3 teaspoon strong peppermint extract (we used Boyajian), 10 finely chopped spearmint leaves and 6 ounces finely chopped dark chocolate. It was some of the best mint chocolate chip ice cream we’ve ever had. - A&M
—The Editors
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