Creamy Custard Ice Cream

Instructions:

1. Combine the heavy cream, whole milk, salt, and vanilla bean seeds and pod in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium until the mixture begins to simmer, then remove from heat immediately. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. In a heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until the mixture turns a pale, lemon yellow.
3. Slowly drizzle one ladle of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. Repeat with a second ladle to temper the eggs.
4. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (approximately 170°F / 77°C).
5. Immediately strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Place the bowl in an ice bath to cool rapidly to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
6. For an ice cream maker: Pour the chilled custard into the machine and churn according to manufacturer instructions (usually 20–25 mins) until it reaches soft-serve consistency. For no-machine: Pour into a shallow container and whisk vigorously every 45 minutes, repeating 4 times before the final freeze.