Endless Ice Cream: Double Vanilla Porter Ripple

Vanilla lovers, rejoice. Vanilla ice cream with two vanilla beans AND vanilla extract. A spiced vanilla porter ripple simmered with another vanilla bean. This combo is creamy, sweet, complex, and did I mention there’s a shitload of vanilla in it?

Double Vanilla Porter Ripple Ice Cream

Makes about 1 quart

Ripple adapted from Preservation Kitchen

First, make the vanilla porter ripple (this can be made and refrigerated up to five days ahead):

Ingredients

• One 12oz Vanilla Porter Beer (I used Breckenridge)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 4 whole allspice berries
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 whole star anise
• 1/4 tsp dried orange zest, or one small strip fresh orange zest

Method

1. Put everything into a 4 quart sauce pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve (you can save the beans for the ice cream) and return to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid has the consistency of maple syrup, about 5-6 minutes. Pour into a storage container and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Next, make the ice cream:

Ingredients

• 2 whole vanilla beans, split and scraped
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 5 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method

1. In a 4 quart saucepan, bring the vanilla beans, cream and salt just to a boil. Cover and let steep for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the bean pods. Return to just a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. One ladle at a time, slowly whisk the hot cream into the yolks. When you’ve whisked about half of the cream mixture into the yolks, slowly drizzle and whisk the yolks into the saucepan. Cook over medium high heat for about 4 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula. Remove from heat, strain into a clean bowl, and stir over an ice bath until cool. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, until completely chilled.
3. Churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Scrape half of the ice cream into a 1 quart container with a tight-fitting lid. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the chilled porter ripple over the ice cream, and scrape the rest of the ice cream over it. Cover and freeze for 4 hours until firm, or up to 2 weeks. Remaining porter ripple can be drizzled over the bowls of ice cream. It’s also awesome over buttered pancakes or waffles.

Find dozens of inventive ice cream recipes in Endless Ice Cream.