Better-Than-Häagen-Dazs® Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I have a tiny problem with dairy. No, not that kind of problem. It's that I can never use all of it up before it expires.

I eat cereal with milk, but not everyday.

I make soups with cream, but not all the time.

So what do I do with the leftover milk or cream? Usually, I turn the milk into panna cotta and the cream into creme brulee.

But last week, I did something I should've been doing all along with my surplus: ice cream!

And it turns out that the recipe I used, which I modified slightly from the one that came with my ice cream maker, made an ice cream that I can finally say is better than Häagen Dazs. It's dense, smooth, just rich enough to titilate, but not enough to sicken.

I served it with macerated strawberries and it was so good, I think I now have a new problem with dairy--the kind that will make me fat.

So here's my recipe for the ice cream, which I'm naming with the clickbait-y title: "Better-Than-Häagen-Dazs® Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream".

Feel free to use milk and cream that's not about to expire.

2 cups 2% milk
1 cup cream
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
4 egg yolks

1. Dump the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt into large saucepan.

2. Stir to combine.

3. Set the heat to medium, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

4. When the mixture is just about to boil, turn off the heat.

5. In a big bowl, whisk the egg yolks vigorously until it turns slightly pale or your arm starts to hurt.

6. While continuously whisking, pour a few spoonfuls of the hot cream mixture into the bowl a little at a time. This, of course, is called tempering. If you don't do this, you'll be making scrambled eggs instead of ice cream.

7. After half of the cream mixture has tempered the egg yolks, pour the rest into the bowl and keep whisking to combine.

8. Return the mixture to the saucepan.

9. Set the heat on low, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and can coat the spoon.

10. Once you attain the desired consistency (which should be almost as thick as egg nog), turn off the heat and cover the saucepan and let cool.

11. When the custard (yes, you just made custard) is at room temperature, take off the lid, give it a quick stir, then lay plastic wrap directly against the surface. This will prevent a skin from forming.

12. Put the saucepan in the fridge and chill overnight.

13. After it's completely chilled, pour it into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions to make your ice cream.

14. When the consistency is like that of stiff soft serve, take a rubber spatula and use it transfer the ice cream into a lidded plastic container.

15. Store in the freezer to harden, at least overnight.

16. Lick the spatula.

MACERATED STRAWBERRIES

A dozen strawberries
3 tablespoons of sugar

1. Hull strawberries.

2. Roughly chop the berries and transfer to a bowl or tupperware.

3. Sprinkle the sugar over the berries.

4. Use a spoon to toss the strawberries and distribute the sugar.

5. Stop mixing when you can't see the sugar anymore.

6. Cover and chill in the fridge for a few hours or until the ice cream is ready to serve.

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