Years ago I remember my father making vanilla ice cream for all of us with an ice cream maker that required a lot of crushed ice and salt. Can’t remember now if it was hand crank or electric. But man oh man was that ice cream good – so rich and creamy. The ice cream makers have improved a lot in the last thirty years, no more need for crushed ice or salt, just have to remember to put the bowl in the freezer a day ahead of time. We recently bought a new ice cream maker and to break it in we made a batch of French vanilla ice cream – the kind with egg yolks and vanilla been seeds in it. French vanilla is a bit more complicated than regular vanilla or most of the ice cream recipes that come with the machine, as you need to prepare a custard mix by cooking the eggs and cream first. But unlike many homemade ice creams which can be a little on the ice-y side, because of the added richness of the egg yolks, French vanilla stays creamier – at least for the first day or two in the freezer. Actually, I don’t think this batch lasted past day two, it was just too good to let languish in the freezer.

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