July is National Ice Cream Month! I’m going to start things off with the simplest and surprisingly most popular ice cream flavor in the world, Vanilla. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cups of raw milk
1 cup of raw cream
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form until tiny bubbles form around the edge and the mixture reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the meantime, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Slowly whisk in sugar until well incorporated into a thick pale yellow paste. Slowly pour in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. This is important: The milk should not be poured into the egg mixture quickly or you will get scrambled eggs.

Return the egg and milk custard to the saucepan and cook over low heat. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Temperature of the custard should reach 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not allow the custard to boil.

Pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Stir the custard every five minutes until cooled completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Whisk vanilla into the custard and churn until thickened into a soft serve consistency. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm.

Delicious!