Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Since today is the last official day of summer, I wanted to end the season with a quintessential warm weather treat. A few weeks back I purchased an ice cream maker on Gilt Groupe (click here if you'd like an invite) and I've been pouring over recipes ever since. I couldn't wait to meld complex flavors together and play with herbal notes, floral hints and exotic spices. But after much deliberation, I decided that there's really nothing better than ice cream in its purest form and went with this recipe. The vanilla flavor was intoxicating and I was pleasantly surprised by the smooth and creamy texture.