Buttermilk Ice Cream

I’m having just the most lovely weekend. Our new apartment is starting to feel slightly more put together. I went for a long walk in my new neighborhood yesterday. Today I’ve been sitting on my balcony reading a book most of the day. I’ve cooked a bunch of good food for the week. Things are looking up!

And maybe I have just slightly too much time on my hands, as evidenced by this week’s recipe. On Wednesday I was really craving ice cream. When I’m slammed at work, my response to that is to go to an ice cream shop and order the most extravagant flavor they have in some kind of waffle bowl, preferably dipped in chocolate and coated in sprinkles. But this week my response was “Oh, I should make some ice cream for myself!”

And then, when I was actually churning the ice cream this morning, the thought crossed my mind that maybe I should make some sprinkles for it, too, while I was at it. I did not act on that impulse, but it definitely shows that I’m not feeling particularly stressed out at the moment.

For this ice cream, I wanted something good and creamy. DC is hot, and I wanted a dessert that would feel appropriately refreshing. This is achieved with literally a dozen egg yolks in addition to the buttermilk, which gives this ice cream a bit of a tang that’s actually a nice twist.

Start by making the batter the night before. In a large saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar with the heavy cream and scraped vanilla bean over medium heat. Stir occasionally until it comes to a simmer, and remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.

Slowly drizzle in about a cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the large saucepan with the remaining cream mixture and cook over low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve into a large bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, when the mixture is chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions until it reaches the desired consistency. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer until ready to eat.

Am I maybe starting to stock up on things to have around when Erik gets here? Yes. But we’ll be full quarantining for the first two weeks he’s here, and you can’t do that without ice cream.

Plus this was just the perfect snack after sitting out on the balcony this afternoon.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
• 12 egg yolks
• 2 cups buttermilk
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine heavy cream, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla bean (including scraped insides) over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture beings to simmer. Remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.
3. Slowly drizzle about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
4. Transfer the egg yolk mixture back into the large saucepan with the rest of the heavy cream mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon (about 5 to 10 minutes).
5. Strain mixture through a mesh sieve into a large bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk and salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions until desired consistency. Transfer to airtight container to store in freezer.