Lower-Fat Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Circle B Kitchen
3 cups half and half
3 egg yolks
2/3 to 3/4 cups sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
Bring the half and half, sugar, salt and vanilla bean seeds to a boil. Whisk the egg yolks together.
Once the cream mixture has come to a rolling boil, turn off the heat. Take 1 cup of the hot cream mixture and stream it slowly into the yolks, whisking.
Slowly pour the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk. Turn the flame on low and cook until the base thickens slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook, as the mixture will curdle.(I sometimes add a little more vanilla extract at this point).
Chill 2 to 3 hours or preferably overnight.
If you want to make more or less ice cream, the rule of thumb here is one egg yolk and a scant 1/4 cup sugar for each cup of dairy.