French Raspberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Wow this has been a fantastic summer! Wanna know why? It is HOT! Wonderfully, beautifully, sunny, random thunderstorm-y, HOT!  You would think that I would be complaining being that I am 22 weeks pregnant and walking around in 30C heat, but I could not be happier.  


Last summer it rained for about...5 weeks straight. You may think I am exaggerating, but I missed 5 weeks of golf in a row due to rain last July/Aug! I was starting to think that I would never golf at the 2011 ladies league again! But then it dried up a bit in August and we were able to finish off the season through September, whew! Even still, we had some chilly wet games in September too.



But not this year! For the last week our temperature have been happily hovering around 30C, with no sign of breaking up anytime soon.


Pure Joy :D


One of the best parts of this amazing weather is the cold treats we get to enjoy! I was so excited to whip out my new attachment for my stand mixer, the Ice Cream bowl! WOOT! Oh man, that was an exciting day :)

I couldn't decide which of the million flavours I had seen on everyone's blogs and Pinterest to try first, so my husband solved the problem for me. He grabbed two packages of raspberries and said that is what he wanted. With how tasty the raspberries have been lately that sounded perfect to me.


I used the French Vanilla Ice Cream recipe that came with my new KitchenAid ice cream maker as a guide. I didn't have any half-and-half on hand so I used 1% milk instead and the ice cream still came out super creamy and rich.  I will caution you, after you add the raspberries and it really starts to thicken up, it may try to spill over the edges. I had my back turned and before I knew it the pups were happily enjoying some soft serve ice cream off of the floor.


Oops. 


In my defense, the pups get hot in this weather too.


See? Here they are hiding from the sun:

Anyways, if you are experiencing a heat wave like we are, whip up some ice cream! Yum.


This recipe makes about 8 cups of ice cream.


French Raspberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 8 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream (35%)
• 4 tsp vanilla
• 2 vanilla beans, seeds scraped
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups raspberries

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until very hot (but not boiling), while stirring often. When hot, remove from heat and set aside
2. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whip on low until thickened
3. Slowly add the warm milk to the egg yolks on low and mix until well blended
4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, and cook over medium heat while stirring constantly until bubbles appear on the edges. 
5. Pour the hot mixture into a heat-safe bowl, and sir in the whipping cream, vanilla, vanilla bean seeds, and salt
6. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight
7. When ready to make your ice cream, freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.  For a KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker stand attachment:
1. Attach the frozen bowl to the stand mixer and set to STIR (Before adding any ingredients)
2. Carefully pour the ice cream mixture into the frozen bowl while the mixer is on
3. Let the ice cream maker churn on STIR (or the lowest speed) for 15 minutes
4. Carefully add the raspberries and continue mixing for about 5 more minutes
5. Immediately serve (it will be a soft serve consistency) or place in an airtight container in the freezer (if you want a consistency that can be scooped)
8. Enjoy!