The texture of the cornstarch ice cream is better than almost any commercial ice cream, many of which are filled with air (at least when the ice cream is fresh, which is how it should be eaten — straight from the machine).
The recipe even works with skim milk, if not quite as brilliantly. With skim milk or half-and-half, this is a much less fat-laden ice cream than one made with six eggs.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups light cream, half-and-half or milk (whole or skim), or a combination
- ½ cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
1118 calories; 92 grams fat; 57 grams saturated fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 59 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 331 milligrams cholesterol; 248 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
1 generous pint
Preparation
- Put 2 cups cream, half-and-half or milk, the sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. If using a vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and scrape seeds into liquid, then add pod. Cook until mixture begins to steam.
- In a bowl, blend cornstarch and remaining cream, half-and-half or milk; there should be no lumps. Remove bean pod from pot and discard. Add cornstarch mixture to pot. Cook, stirring, until it starts to thicken and barely reaches a boil, about 5 minutes. Immediately reduce heat to very low and stir for 5 minutes or so until thick. Stir in vanilla extract, if using.
- If mixture has lumps, strain it into a bowl. Chill until cool, a couple of hours (you can skip this step if you have a machine with a built-in freezer). When cool or if there are no lumps, pour into an ice cream machine and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
20 minutes
Dining and Cooking