Vanilla Ice Cream - The Washington Post |

Photo by Scott Suchman for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky

If you love a smooth curl of ice cream when you scoop, try this recipe, which uses heavy cream and goat milk to create a luscious dessert, with just a bit of tang. The ice cream is great as it is, but also makes a good base for add-ins, such as chocolate chips or nuts. Use a split vanilla bean rather than extract for a richer flavor. When you're finished with the vanilla bean, rinse it, pat it dry and add it to a sugar canister to make vanilla sugar. (Need ideas for using up your egg whites? See related recipes for pavlovas and an egg white frittata and omelet.)

You may substitute whole milk for the goat milk, but the ice cream will be slightly less creamy and taste a bit sweeter.

You'll need an ice cream maker with a 2-quart capacity. If yours is smaller, halve the recipe or plan to churn it in batches.

Active time: 20 mins; Total time: 45 mins, plus chilling and freezing time

Make Ahead: The ice cream base needs to chill for at least 6 hours and up to overnight in the refrigerator. The churned ice cream needs to harden in the freezer for at least 6 hours.

Storage Notes: Freeze in an airtight container, with a sheet of wax paper pressed to the top, for up to 2 weeks.

When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.

Tested size: 14 servings; makes 1 3/4 quarts

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/2 cup (100 grams) of the sugar until well combined.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cream, milk, the remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) of the sugar, vanilla and salt and, stirring frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom, bring the mixture to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat

With a ladle in one hand and a whisk in another, drizzle a small amount of the heated liquid into the egg mixture while whisking. Continue until about a third of the hot liquid has been blended with the eggs and the mixture feels warm to the touch. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the pot, continuing to whisk until the custard is smooth and well combined.

Return the saucepan to medium heat and let the custard come to a simmer, with small bubbles around the edges; it should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, or register about 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove from the heat and remove the vanilla bean (see headnote), if using.

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large container with a tightfitting lid, stirring and pressing the custard through with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.

Assemble your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions and turn it on. Pour in the chilled custard and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. The custard should be the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Place the now-empty storage container in the freezer to chill while ice cream freezes.

Pack the ice cream into the chilled storage container. Press a piece of wax paper directly against the surface and cover with the lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.

From recipes editor Ann Maloney.

Tested by Colley Charpentier and Ann Maloney.

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