“Real innovation is not about chasing the fashionable, but having an inherent beauty. It is not about the sampling of cleverness, but honest consideration for what works well. That is vanilla ice cream. If you haven’t had it for a while, take a bite of a truly delicious scoop. It’s the one flavor that proves itself to be not just a passing fancy, but an eternal romance” – Dominique Ansel

Vanilla is a shocking dissenter among crowds and people who enjoy making ice cream. It proves itself to be the most consistently consumed flavour in the world but the statistics are largely skewed. Vanilla bases are incredibly easy to formulate and produce and it is also one of the most versatile lending it credence to become the value saver frozen dessert item of the supermarket. Meanwhile, a lot of enthusiasts avoid it due to its perceived simplicity and lack of flair.

There aren’t too many comments one can make about the specifications of the base in general but you can go with a high butterfat percentage on a vanilla base because it does not impede the flavour (not taste) which primarily consists of the floral notes. This also deceives the brain into thinking the base is sweeter than it really is so I have adjusted the sweetness index to compensate. The only truly divergent design decision is to create it as a French custard or a “Philly style” base. I opted for the former because it is the more classic approach, in my opinion.

It is recommended that you do not skimp on the ingredients. Use Jersey milk, high quality free-range organic eggs and Tahitian vanilla where available.

Recipe Details

Yield – 1kg

Click here to view the formula (ingredient weights)

Notes

Split the vanilla bean pods and scrape the beans into the pot with the milk before you start. Add the pods to the base. Make the ice cream base according to the ice cream method. Age the base overnight with the vanilla bean pods to infuse. Strain the base to remove the pods and squeeze them dry (use gloves) before homogenising the base and churning.

You may use any number of pods as you wish. I use roughly 30-40 grams of vanilla bean pods per 1kg of base.