Low Fat French Vanilla Custard Ice Cream


4 cups fat free half-&-half
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla
pinch salt
1 to 2 drops yellow food coloring – optional


1. Combine 3-1/2 cups of fat free half & half with sugar and pinch salt in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium whisking/stirring often until steaming hot but not quite boiling. Do not let boil.

2. In a medium sized bowl whisk 1/2 cup remaining half & half with cornstarch until blended. Whisk in egg yolks until mixture is smooth and set aside.

3. When half & half is steaming remove from heat and take approximately 1 cup of hot liquid from saucepan. Whisking continuously, slowly pour hot half & half into cornstarch/egg yolk mixture until blended. When smooth, whisk egg yolk mixture into saucepan with hot half & half.

4. Whisking constantly over medium heat continue to cook custard until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. Custard is done if a line remains when finger is drawn across back of coated spoon. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and food coloring if using and strain mixture into a clean bowl. Cover and cool custard thoroughly before freezing.

5. Transfer vanilla custard mixture to and ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacture’s directions.

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