Those of you who make your own ice cream, what's your best vanilla recipe?

Generally I make a cooked egg custard base which, being a Wisconsinite and hooked on our frozen vanilla custard here, is my preference. But today I was looking for something simpler, easier and less time-consuming. This was it.

The proportions of whipping cream to half-and-half are a little heavier on the half-and-half than my general preference (2 parts cream, 1 part half-and-half) but the difference here was marginal and might suit better those who prefer a less rich ice cream. Since I used this as a base for blueberry ice cream (3 cups blueberries macerated with 3/4 cup sugar and the juice of half a lemon, then pureed) I omitted the vanilla. However, if I was to use this recipe as is, I would still reduce the amount of vanilla somewhat.

Even with the addition of the fruit, which often tends to lend some iciness to the ice cream’s texture, this was creamy and smooth. This is a rich and delicious ice cream, a worthy competitor to the cooked custard variety – I *almost* didn’t miss the eggs.