Vanilla Infused Balsamic Ice Cream

by phish814

1.4K582

Intro: Vanilla Infused Balsamic Ice Cream

Nothing says foodie like a drizzling your homemade ice cream in balsamic vinegar. I chose to create my own balsamic reduction with a sweet infusion of vanilla bean to pair with this smoky, full bodied vanilla bean ice cream that I adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams Cook Book. Enjoy!

STEP 1: Gather Your Ingredients

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:

adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 block of cream cheese
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out--seeds and bean reserved

Vanilla Bean Balsamic Vinegar:

  • 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out--seeds and bean reserved

Optional toppings:

  • Macerated strawberries
  • Roasted salted walnuts

STEP 2: Vanilla Bean Dessert Balsamic Vinegar

In a small sauce pan, pour 1 1/2 cups of balsamic vinegar over a 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar.

With a sharp knife, slice open your vanilla bean. Scrape out the seeds and add both directly to the balsamic.

Allow balsamic to simmer over medium low heat and reduce to about a 1/2 cup. Allow to cool and place into an airtight container in the refrigerator

STEP 3: Macerated Strawberries

Rinse, top and quarter your fresh strawberries. Pour granulated sugar over the strawberries, cover, and place in the refrigerator.

STEP 4: Making the Ice Cream

Prep:
  • Mix 2 tables spoons of milk with cornstarch to make a smooth slurry.
  • Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth
  • Fill a large bowl with ice and water - have a gallon freezer bag ready to cool the ice cream

Cooking the ice cream:

  • Combine the rest of the milk with the cream, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla (seeds and bean) in a 4-quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook, stirring with a heat proof spatula until thickened (about 1 minute). Remove from the heat.
  • Gradually whisk the hot mixture into the cream cheese then pour into the freezer bag and place in the ice bath until cold.

Freezing the ice cream:

  • Remove the vanilla bean from the mixture
  • Pour mixture into your choice of ice cream maker (I use the ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid mixer) and churn until thick and creamy

Packing the ice cream:

  • Moving quickly, layer your ice cream and half of your balsamic reduction (reserve the other half for drizzling) into a quart size container. Cover with parchment directly against the surface or seal with an airtight lid. Allow to freeze fully for at least 4 hours.

STEP 5: EAT!

Enjoy your delicious and beautiful ice cream! Impress your family and friends!

Top your ice cream with:

  • a drizzle of your vanilla bean balsamic
  • your macerated strawberries
  • roasted salted nuts (I prefer walnuts)

Thank you for reading!

2 Comments

seamster 8 years ago

Whoa, this is a unique combination of flavors! I'm intrigued. Thanks for sharing this.

phish814 8 years ago

It's a really great flavor. The ice cream is sweet and mellow and the balsamic glaze with the strawberry is fantastic.