Flavor #1 - Vanilla

It is the base flavor for all ice cream. Vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor in the US and almost everywhere else around the globe. New Zealand breaks ranks with the rest of the world, but I'll get to that in later.

Vanilla generally gets a bad rap. No one ever admits that Vanilla is their favorite. NFL coaches in the pre-season describe an ordinary game plan as Vanilla. Then there is Vanilla Ice. Yet without a great Vanilla, everything else would be disappointing. You have to make a great Vanilla to move forward with almost every other flavor.  

As easy as it is to make, it is just as easy to screw up. Making ice cream, is more than just getting the mix right.  The cylinder in the machine needs to be the right temperature, the right amount of air needs to be folded in with the mix and the end product needs to be frozen at the right temperature to get the final consistency just right.

2 Cups of Heavy Cream

1 Cup of Milk

3/4 of a Cup of Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla

1 Liberal Pinch of Salt

The pinch of salt always seems to bring additional flavor out.

Vanilla has a natural partner in Chocolate.  They are naturally linked up like Fred & Ethel.  However as predictable as it would be for Chocolate to be flavor #2, you will just have to wait.  I'll get there, just not right away. Believe it or not I am already getting requests for flavors on Facebook.