Bruno's Authentic French Vanilla Ice Cream

So it’s officially the last week of summer and I can’t let the season end without sharing this recipe that comes from a classically-trained French Pastry Chef, who was given the recipe by an authentic Glacier (a professional ice cream maker in France). Sheet gelatin and commercial kitchen techniques result in the creamiest, most amazing French Vanilla Ice Cream imaginable. It’s Michelin star-worthy.

Please note - the ice cream base should be made a day before processing in your ice cream maker.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• good ice cream maker https://amzn.to/3bu4ucE

• better ice cream maker https://amzn.to/35aUl3u

• immersion blender https://amzn.to/3h3DPEA

• pure vanilla bean paste https://amzn.to/34SgdCu

• gelatin sheets https://amzn.to/3igQJQU

• standard digital scale https://amzn.to/363ysFz

• digital gram scale https://amzn.to/3bAEiwM

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Authentic French Vanilla Ice Cream

makes 1 quart

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 500g whole milk

• 180g granulated sugar

• 30g glucose or light corn syrup

• 30g dry milk powder

• 8g vanilla bean paste

• 2g salt (see notes below)

• 100g egg yolks (about 5)

• 4g gelatin sheets

• 300g heavy cream

Directions

1. Soak gelatin sheets in a few cups of cold water for 5-10 minutes, then remove sheets and gently squeeze out excess water; set aside until needed.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, sugar, glucose (or corn syrup), and salt together until the temperature reaches 113F (45c).

3. Using an immersion blender, add dry milk to the warm milk mixture, then add the egg yolks and continue blending with the immersion blender until the mixture reaches 185F (85c); remove from heat.

4. Use the immersion blender to add the gelatin sheets, followed by the cream and vanilla.

5. Pour mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to allow the flavors to mature.

6. Process according to your ice cream maker’s instructions and serve right away or transfer mixture to a freezer-safe container for longer storage.

7. To serve, allow frozen ice cream to soften at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before scooping.

Notes

• Gelatin Sheets - don’t be too concerned with the “bloom strength” of the sheet gelatin you use for this recipe. Just be sure the total weight is equal to 4 grams.

• Standard digital scales are great for weighing most ingredients, but they’re not so great when weighing very minimal amounts. When weighing just a few grams, like the salt in this recipe, it’s best to use a precise digital gram scale. If you don’t have a digital gram scale, you’ll have to approximate. For reference, 1 teaspoon of table salt weighs 5.69g so you’d need approximately 1/3 teaspoon table salt for this recipe (the volume would differ if using kosher salt).

• For the best flavor, be sure to refrigerate the ice cream base for 24 hours before processing in your ice cream maker.

adapted from Bruno Albouze

Philly-Style Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

Here’s another super-simple Philly-Style (no egg) ice cream recipe for you to try. I brought a sampling of ice creams to a family get-together and I was really surprised that most people preferred this Toasted Coconut flavor, including those who typically don’t care for coconut!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Xanthan gum https://amzn.to/3iv8htm

• ice cream machine https://amzn.to/2D8TeFv

• ice cream storage containers https://amzn.to/2VKh152

• ice cream scoop https://amzn.to/3gn8j4y

• deli containers https://amzn.to/3gsYeDl

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Philly-Style Toasted Coconut Ice Cream

makes 1 1/2 quarts

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• 3 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1/2 cup light corn syrup

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Directions

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, toast sweetened coconut, stirring constantly, until golden brown and fragrant (about 5 minutes); immediately transfer coconut to a bowl/plate and set aside until completely cool, then cover with plastic and reserve until needed (will be at least 12 hours later).

2. In the same skillet, repeat step 1 with the unsweetened coconut, but instead of transferring it to a bowl/plate, transfer to a medium saucepan and proceed with step 3.

3. In a medium saucepan containing the toasted unsweetened coconut, add the cream, milk, corn syrup, sugar, and salt; bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and steep for 1 hour.

4. Strain unsweetened coconut out of cream mixture, press well to get as much of the cream mixture as you can; discard the strained unsweetened coconut.

5. Pour ice cream base into an airtight container and chill for at least 12 hours (24 hours is even better - can be made several days in advance).

6. Churn the ice cream base in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions; adding reserved toasted sweetened coconut during the last minute or two of churning.

7. Transfer to ice cream to an airtight container and store in the freezer.

Note

• This ice cream freezes very hard - allow to soften at room temperature for 10-15 minutes for easier scooping, or microwave in 10-second bursts until soft enough to scoop (30 seconds in my 900w microwave).