No Cook French Vanilla Ice Cream

I have been in love with ice cream since I was a little kid. My obsession has recently been rekindled by the resurgence of what I'll call "adult" ice creams that are made for more refined palates as the flavors are made using fresh ingredients. This results in a more subtle flavor that tickles your flavor profiles rather than giving it a big punch! (Carmela's in Pasadena, CA; Salt and Straw in Portland, OR; Kurt Farm Shop in Seattle, WA)

So...due to this love, my thoughts obviously went to...why don't I try to make it myself? Bought myself a 1.5 qt Cuisinart (about $50 on Amazon) and started to try it out!

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I am quite prone to making a lot of mistakes. When recipes have told me "foolproof" well...I would prove them wrong. To be honest, I wouldn't even know why it came out wrong (if you have any ideas, please share!).

But of course I started with something simple - a lime and basil sorbet (if you can't tell...I'm being sarcastic :P). I spent hours zesting and juicing limes. When I finished the recipe, the base was pretty sweet. After I put it in the ice cream maker, it was sooooo sour! Then I thought to try something a little less ambitious - a cantaloupe ice cream - which I didn't even have a recipe for because I had a feeling of confidence despite my previous failure. Boy was I wrong! I ended with a sweet icy ice cream that was rock solid.

Then I decided to try to make a french vanilla ice cream but didn't have a wooden spoon and was in a rush to try to make it and so I'm pretty sure I rushed the custard process + added my eggs to my sugar way too early (which cooks the eggs) and ended with an ice cream that tasted good but never set no matter how long it spent in the freezer!

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Finally, I came across this french vanilla recipe! No cooking and no worrying about mixing the eggs with sugar while you're working with the other ingredients!

I have some vanilla pods in my cupboard but they're all dry. I tried to get the seeds out but it's pretty impossible with dried vanilla pods.

TIP: I found that I could still make use of these! I broke off half of the pod, blended it in my coffee/spice grinder and this knocked out a bunch of the seeds and pulverized the pod into seed-like consistency. I added this to my mixture instead of the vanilla extract.

While my Cusinart was working away, I cut up half a box of Samoas (or Caramel Delites) Girl Scout cookies (though next time I make this, I would definitely do the entire box!). After the ice cream was done in the ice cream maker, I distributed and mixed the cookie chunks into my soft ice cream as I put it in the ice cream container to freeze and set.

It came out AMAZINGGGGG!!! Perfect amount of vanilla and sweetness, little bit of crunchiness from the cookies or random flecks of caramel covered toasted coconut, and the right consistency. But honestly, the possibilities are endless!! :D

It did come out just a tinge icy, so maybe some time refrigerating the base would help but honestly, I don't think anyone minded! :P

Happy eating!

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