French Vanilla Ice Cream

Although July in St. Louis tends to get unbearably hot, especially this year, it's also the month when one of my favorite fruits reaches its peak - peaches! A local farm sells the best peaches around, and each year I look forward to a fresh peach pie. And what is best served alongside a fresh peach pie? Vanilla ice cream of course! My dad has been asking why I haven't made him any ice cream this summer, so this was the perfect opportunity.

I turned to my trusty Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book for this one, and it turned out fantastic. Ultra-creamy with a nice, pronounced vanilla flavor. This recipe uses raw eggs, so avoid if you fall in a high-risk group for food-borne illness, but if you're not and it doesn't bother you, the eggs add a nice richness to the ice cream. I would think that the equivalent amount of a pasteurized egg substitute might work as well, but I'm not certain.

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy or whipping cream

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluff, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream, milk, and vanilla and whisk to blend.

2. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes 1 quart

(Serve with fresh peach pie!)

Source: Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book