Not Your Average Vanilla Ice Cream
Buffalo Trace Bourbon Double Vanilla Ice Cream stems from my admiration for American-made bourbon. Of course, any quality bourbon will do, but Buffalo Trace is a favorite in our home. The notes of honey, caramel, vanilla, orange, and a slightly smokey oak make this a perfect ingredient for any delicious, creamy ice cream. An additional bonus–the alcohol lends a soft-serve consistency right out of the freezer, so there is no need to allow the ice cream to soften before serving.
The double vanilla in the recipe comes from using fresh vanilla beans and pure 100% vanilla extract. If you don’t wish to add the bourbon, this recipe makes an excellent Double Vanilla Ice Cream. However, the small amount of bourbon matches up exceptionally well with the vanilla essence.
A Little or A lot
Set the amount of bourbon you desire: Mix one or two tablespoons of bourbon for only a bare hint of bourbon flavor that explodes the rich, fresh vanilla bean. Mix three tablespoons, and the bourbon flavor comes through more pronounced but tends to be on the soft side. Best vanilla ice cream I’ve ever had! However, add a fourth tablespoon, and the ice cream won’t set no matter how long you keep it in the freezer.
After tasting this version, you may never look at vanilla ice cream the same way. The happy marriage of bourbon and vanilla is sublime.
When making this recipe, it is time to splurge on milk and cream. Get the very best dairy you can find in your area. In my area, Kalona is the very best I can get.
Measure out the first 2 cups of milk/cream.
Measure out the granulated sugar.
Add the milk/cream, sugar, and pinch of salt to a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat.
Whisk the mixture to dissolve the sugar into the milk/cream until you reach (185°F/85°C). Do not boil the milk. It is getting close to done when the sides of the mixture start to bubble slightly.
Using a sharp knife, split the vanilla bean down the middle.
Use the back of the knife to scrape the vanilla seeds out of the pod.
Next, add the seeds and the vanilla pod to the hot milk/sugar/cream mixture. Remove from the heat and allow the vanilla to infuse into the mix for 1 hour.
While the milk/sugar/cream mixture is seeping, separate five egg yolks. Then, save the egg whites for another purpose.
Whisk the egg yolks to incorporate and reserve.
Using two mixing bowls, add equal amounts of ice and water to the first.
Place the other mixing bowl over the first to form the ice bath and add 1 cup of cream. Reserve.
After the cream/sugar/milk mixture infusion with the vanilla bean pods and seeds for one hour, reheat the mixture while stirring until the temperature reaches (185°F/85°C), stirring occasionally. However, do not exceed (195°F/90°C)!
Pour or ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the whisked egg yolks. Stir the cream/egg mixture to incorporate thoroughly. Add the egg/cream mixture back into the pot with the cream/sugar/vanilla pods and constantly whisk over medium heat for 2-4 minutes. Next, return the mixture to (185°F/85°C) with an instant-read thermometer.
Again, keep stirring until you reach (185°F/85°C). Remove from the heat! The ice cream custard is ready to strain.
Place sieve over the reserved cream in the ice bath.
Carefully pour the vanilla ice cream (custard) over the sieve to remove the vanilla pods. Be sure to use a rubber spatula to press through all vanilla seeds.
Lift the sieve to remove the vanilla pods and anything too big to pass through the sieve. Next, use the spatula to scrape off all the smaller vanilla seeds from the underside of the sieve.
At this point, the vanilla beans have given everything they can. Discard the beans.
Whisk the custard over the double pan with the ice. The custard will cool off rapidly.
Once the temperature has dropped to (85°F/30°C), add the pure vanilla extract and stir with a rubber spatula to incorporate.
Now add the bourbon. Be aware the more (bourbon) you add, the softer the consistency of the ice cream. Add (1-2 tablespoons) for a predominantly vanilla flavor profile. Add three tablespoons, and the bourbon becomes pronounced, but it also gets soft. If you add four or more tablespoons for this amount of custard, the ice cream will never get firm.
The custard can be used straight away or sealed and refrigerated until you are ready to serve.
Prepare your ice cream maker. This particular model has its refrigeration. Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker for best results.
Pour the chilled, prepared custard into the machine. First, make sure to get all of the vanilla seeds. Then, follow the instructions for your device.
I have several dedicated ice cream containers, such as this one. Fill the container with the freshly made ice cream and freeze eight hours overnight.
The Buffalo Trace Double Vanilla ice cream comes out of the freezer in soft-serve consistency. So it’s ready as soon as you scoop it.
To finish, add a few Walker’s Traditional Scottish shortbread cookies. Perfection!
Buffalo Trace Bourbon Double Vanilla Ice Cream
Equipment
- measuring spoons and cups
- knife
- cutting board
- instant read thermometer or candy thermometer
- mixing bowls (3-4)
- heavy bottom sauce pot
- wire whisk
- rubber spatula
- ice cream maker
- ice cream storage container with a tight-fitting lid
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream, split into 1 cup portions
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup sugar, granulated
- ⅛ tsp salt, kosher
- 5 egg yolks, separated
- 1 whole vanilla bean split and seeds scraped out
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp bourbon, preferably Buffalo Trace or better
Instructions
Prepare the Vanilla Pods
- Prepare the vanilla pods by slicing the pod in two with the sharp tip of a knife. Then, use the back of the blade to scrape the vanilla seeds from the pods. Reserve both seeds and pod.
Infusing the Milk/Cream
- Measure out 1 cup of the cream and 1 cup of whole milk and add these to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Using a whisk, incorporate the sugar and salt. Whisk until the temperature reaches (180°-190°F/82°-88°C). Be careful not to boil the mixture!
- Add the split vanilla pods and the seeds. Stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and allow the vanilla to infuse the milk/cream for 1 hour.
Prepare the Eggs-Bowl 1
- Crack and separate the yolks of the egg from the egg whites. Save the egg whites for another use. Place the yolks in a small or medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs slightly and reserve.
Prepare an Ice Bath-Bowl 2
- In the larger, bottom mixing bowl, place around 2-3 cups of ice and some cold water; over this, place another medium mixing bowl and add the reserved cup of cream.
- Place a sieve over the mixing bowl containing the cream and reserve.
Making the Ice Cream Custard
- Once the milk/cream/vanilla pod mixture has soaked for 1 hour, place the pot back over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, and bring the temperature to (185°-190°F/85°-88°C) with an instant-read thermometer. Then, turn the heat to low. (Vanilla pods should still be in the cream/milk mixture.)
- Remove the milk/cream/vanilla from the heat and pour a small amount over the whisked egg yolks (Bowl 1), about 1/3 cup. Whisk the egg yolks with the hot cream to temper the eggs.
- Once the milk/egg is mixed with the hot milk/cream/vanilla mixture, place back over low heat. Stir constantly until the egg yolks thicken the custard (about 1-2 minutes). Monitor the heat. Do not heat the custard past (195°F/90°C).
- To test thickness, dip the spatula or a spoon into the custard mix and draw a line down the center using a finger. Hold the spatula or spoon up sideways and if the custard does not bleed across the line you drew with your finger, it's good to go.
- Pour the hot custard over the sieve with the reserved cup of cream (Bowl 2) over the ice bath.
- Use a rubber spatula to work the ice cream custard through the sieve.
- Use the spatula to scrape the bottom of the sieve into the ice cream custard. Discard the vanilla pods leftover in the sieve.
- The ice bath will rapidly cool down the ice cream custard. Once the custard is below (75°-85°F/24°-30°C), add the pure vanilla extract and the bourbon. Stir to incorporate thoroughly. The ice cream custard is now ready for the ice cream machine, or you can store it refrigerated until you need it.
Making the Ice Cream
- Pour the ice cream custard into the ice cream machine. Use a rubber spatula to get out all of the excellent vanilla seed fragments from the bowl. Follow the instructions that came with your ice cream maker.
- When the ice cream has formed, pour into an ice cream container and place in the freezer to stiffen the ice cream (about 4 hours). The ice cream is now ready to serve. Because of the alcohol content, the ice cream will be a soft-serve consistency straight out of the freezer.
Serving the Buffalo Trace Double Vanilla Ice Cream
- Use an ice cream scoop to serve the ice cream in a dish, bowl, or parfait glass. Try doing with Luxardo Maraschino Cherries, Walker's Scottish Shortbread, Swedish Rosettes, Norwegian Krumkake, or Italian Pizzelle.