Irish Cream Ice Cream

Have you ever tried vanilla ice cream topped with a shot of Bailey's Irish Creme? Or even better ... the caramel version?

It's an incredibly simply dessert for adults. It also served as the inspiration for this ice cream. This ice cream is delicious in its own right ... but I'm sure a shot of Irish Cream drizzled on top wouldn't hurt.

This recipe is adapted from a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from David Lebowitz.

Irish Cream Ice Cream
1 cup skim milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup Irish Cream
5 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla


Heat the milk, salt and sugar in a saucepan until tiny bubbles form along the edges of the pan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, and then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat and infuse for one hour.

To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart  bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl, and pour the cream and Irish Cream into the bowl.

In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk, then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

Freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Makes about 1 quart of ice cream.