VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

We’ve cut down this recipe to an eighth the size they make at Parish. The restaurant uses an ice cream stabilizer, Cremodan 30, in the big batch they make. It adds to the creaminess of the mixture and keeps ice crystals from forming. You can buy it at Amazon and add 4 grams when you add the sugar to the hot half-and-half mixture, or make the ice cream without it as we did. Still delicious and creamy. 2 cups half-and-half

½ small vanilla bean, split in half 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar ½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 ½ cups heavy cream 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In a large heavy saucepan, heat half-andhalf and vanilla bean to 175 degrees. Remove the vanilla bean and stir in sugar and salt until dissolved.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Add a few tablespoons of the hot half-and-half mixture and whisk to combine. Continue adding hot mixture until eggs are warm, then pour all the eggs into the saucepan and whisk constantly cook over low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees and coats the back of a metal spoon, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in cream and vanilla extract. Move to a bowl, then press plastic wrap onto surface of custard. Cool in an ice bath, then refrigerate till ready to churn. Churn ice cream according to the manufacturer directions for your ice cream machine. Move to a container, cover and freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Makes: 6 cups

Per ½ cup: 326 calories (percent of calories from fat, 65), 3 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 24 grams fat (15 grams saturated), 118 milligrams cholesterol, 136 milligrams sodium.