Beat the Summer Heat with Vanilla Ice Cream

by Jane Burek

The soft charms of vanilla seeds culled from the bean elevate desserts such as homemade ice cream to anything but plain.

As the only member of the orchid family to bear edible fruit, vanilla pods plucked, pollinated and cured from the tropics heighten sweet flavor nuances in cream and sugar. Garnish handmade vanilla bean ice cream with ripe berries and pieces of buttery shortbread or chewy macaroons for a delightful finish to grilled summer dishes.

Homemade vanilla bean ice cream starts with a premium vanilla bean. From its original state as a green pod from the tropics, the diminutive dark brown seeds inside each bean seep warm flavor notes into sugary sweet ingredients like berries and chocolate for a delicate harmony. In fact, Aztecs used vanilla to add flavor depth to their cocoa-based drink, xocolatl , later transliterated as chocolate. The basic flavoring wisdom is still true today: pure vanilla adds enchantment to existing flavors in desserts. 

To use vanilla beans, slit them lengthwise down the center and scrape out the thousands of seeds. These seeds can be added directly to ice cream mixtures, as well as to pastry dough shortening and chocolate sauces. Vanilla beans may also be used to make deliciously fragrant “vanilla sugar” that can be sprinkled atop ice cream for a crunchy finish. Quality whole beans that have been used to flavor sauces or other mixtures may be rinsed, dried and stored for reuse.  

Chef Adam Bernstein, owner and executive chef at Adam's Sustainable Table in Eugene , Oregon serves his handmade vanilla bean ice cream with seasonal delicacies such as sun-ripened strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, pink and red gooseberries, huckleberries and antioxidant-rich blueberries.

“Chilled Tuscan cantaloupe, which is just a bit sweeter than regular cantaloupe, with pecans and a dab of agave nectar is fantastic with a honey mead or Gewürztraminer dessert wine,” says Bernstein. “Vanilla bean ice cream is your base. Add seasonal fruits from a backyard bramble or farmer's market to create a special dessert that showcases local flavors.”

There are two varieties of vanilla bean, Tahitensis, commonly called Tahitian, and Planifolia, sometimes called Bourbon variety. Both of these varieties are grown around the world. About 75 percent of the world's vanilla-bean supply comes from the Madagascar area. Chef Adam uses organic Tahitensis beans grown in Papua New Guinea (PNG) from Singing Dog Vanilla® (singingdogvanilla.com).

With vanilla beans sourced from the rainforests around the equator, homemade ice cream is a traditional treat that mixes well with fresh summer fruits.

Chef Adam's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipe 

1 qt half and half
1 ea organic PNG Tahitensis vanilla bean
20 egg yolks
10 oz granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract  

In a heavy bottom pot add half and half. Cut vanilla bean in half and scoop out inside into half-and-half and add the pod. Bring to a simmer, careful not scorch.  

Separately, combine egg yolks and sugar with a whisk. Temper half and half into yolk and sugar mixture and then add tempered mixture into the half and half. Stir constantly on low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  

Remove from heat, strain and cool. Add vanilla extract. Now the mixture is ready to be made into ice cream. Follow the manufacturer's directions on your ice cream making equipment.