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Today's Tidbit: Buttermilk Ice Milk

Buttermilk Ice Milk

3 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1¼ cups egg yolks (from 14 to 16 large eggs)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Heat the milk, heavy cream, ½ cup of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture just reaches a boil. Remove from the heat.

Whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining sugar. Temper the egg mixture by gradually adding about one-half of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whipping constantly. Add the tempered egg mixture to the remaining hot milk in the saucepan and whisk to combine.

Return the saucepan to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to evenly coat the back of a spoon (180 F), about 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the vanilla extract. Strain the mixture into a metal container and immediately transfer to an ice bath. Cool to below 40 F. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 and up to 12 hours.

Stir the buttermilk into the chilled ice-milk base. Process the mixture in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. Transfer the ice milk from the machine to storage containers, and pack it tightly. Cover and freeze for several hours or overnight before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

—Assocaited Press; recipe from from the Culinary Institute of America's "Grilling" cookbook (Lebhar-Friedman, 2006, $35).