Unlike a lot of other desserts, ice cream isn’t one of the fussy ones. You start by making a basic custard and then you can steer off in many delicious directions to flavor your ice cream any way you like it.

There are several ways to flavor your ice cream along the way. First, you might infuse flavor (tea, fresh ginger, coffee are a few options) into the custard. After that, you can make additions to the cooked custard, including chocolate, berries, and liqueur. Finally, after your ice cream is churned, you can mix in any variety of ingredients, from bite-size bits of candy to chunks of cake or brownies. Try using any of the suggestions, or be creative and make up your own flavors. Don’t laugh, but once I even put bacon in a batch—it was a surprise hit!

Master Ice Cream Recipe

Yields about 1 quart

Warm and (maybe) infuse the cream

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup heavy cream with 1 cup whole milk, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and a pinch of table salt. Warm the cream mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.

To infuse a flavor (optional), stir in your infusion ingredient (see choices below). Cover, remove from the heat, and let sit for 1 hour. Taste and let sit longer if you want a stronger flavor. If not infusing, proceed with the next step.

Vanilla: 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out (use both the bean and seeds)	Lemon: Finely grated zest of 4 medium lemons	Tea: 1/4 cup loose black tea leaves, such as jasmine, Earl Grey, or English breakfast
Orange: Finely grated zest of 4 medium oranges	Lavender: 2 Tbs. dried	Coffee: 1-1/2 cups coarsely crushed medium-roast coffee beans (seal the beans in a large zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin or mallet)
Fresh herbs (basil, mint): 1 cup tightly packed, coarsely torn leaves	Toasted nuts (hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, peanuts, etc.): 1-1/2 cups coarsely crushed	Ginger: 1/2 cup peeled, thinly sliced fresh ginger
Pepper: 1 Tbs. black peppercorns, very coarsely ground	Cinnamon: Two 3- to 4-inch sticks (broken into large pieces)

Make the custard

Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with several inches of ice water. Set a smaller metal bowl (one that holds at least 1-1/2 quarts) in the ice water. Pour another 1 cup heavy cream into the inner bowl (this helps the custard cool quicker when you pour it in later). Set a fine strainer on top. Whisk 5 large egg yolks in a medium bowl.

If you have infused the cream mixture, re-warm it over medium-high heat until tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. In a steady stream, pour half of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heatproof cooking spoon or rubber spatula until the custard thickens slightly (it should be thick enough to coat the utensil and hold a line drawn through it with a finger), 4 to 8 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read 175° to 180°F at this point. Don’t let the sauce overheat or boil, or it will curdle.

Strain and flavor the custard

Immediately strain the custard into the cold cream in the ice bath. If using an infusion ingredient, press firmly in the strainer with the spoon or spatula to extract as much flavor as possible. If you want to add melted chocolate and cocoa (see below), do so now.

Cool the custard to below 70°F by stirring it over the ice bath. To add a flavor other than chocolate (see options below), stir it into the cooled custard.

Choose one or two custard flavorings (optional)

Peaches: 1-1/2 lb. fresh (or 1 lb. frozen), peeled, pitted, cooked to soften, and puréed	Mascarpone: 1 cup	Raspberry: 12 oz. fresh or frozen, puréed, strained, and mixed with 1/3 cup sugar
Vanilla: 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract	Olive oil: 1/4 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil	Chocolate: 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao), chopped and melted, plus 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa (Add to custard immediately after straining)
Lemon: 1/4 cup strained fresh lemon juice	Orange: 3/4 cup strained fresh orange juice	Liqueur/liquor: 3 to 4 Tbs. Grand Marnier, Cognac, Baileys, Frangelico, Kahlúa, amaretto, Armagnac, whiskey, rum, etc.
Strawberry: 1 lb. fresh or frozen, puréed, strained, and mixed with 1/2 cup sugar	Passionfruit: 1/4 cup passionfruit concentrate

Chill and freeze the custard

Refrigerate the custard until completely chilled, at least 4 hours. Then freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If using mix-ins (see options below), fold them into the just-churned ice cream. Transfer the ice cream to an air-tight container and freeze solid for at least 4 hours before serving.

Mini marshmallows	Marshmallow Fluff	Chocolate-covered coffee beans
Dried fruit (raisins, prunes, etc.), soaked in warm liqueur, liquor, or water until plumped	Crushed candy bars	Jam or marmalade
Crushed cookies	Chopped crystallized ginger (max 1/2 cup)	Chopped chocolate (max 6 Tbs.)
Nutella	Chunks of gingerbread, pound cake, brownies, or quick breads	Crushed peppermint candy or peppermint patties
Toasted nuts, chopped if large

Ice Cream Tips

Double down
Some flavors can be both infused and added. To double the flavor of citrus ice cream, for example, start by infusing the cream mixture with zest and add fresh juice to the custard. And for a stronger hit of vanilla, add extract to custard already infused with vanilla bean.

How to swirl
To swirl an ingredient like jam or Nutella into ice cream, let the swirling ingredient come to room temperature first. With a spoon, drop it in small dollops between layers of just-churned ice cream as you remove it from the machine. Gently drag a spatula to swirl the ingredient as best you can; to keep the swirls distinct, avoid vigorous stirring.

Fresh fruit rule
Resist the temptation to mix whole fresh berries or other fresh fruit chunks into your ice cream. Because they have a high water content, they’re likely to freeze into hard, icy chunks.

How long to freeze
You can store ice cream in the freezer for up to two weeks; however, because homemade ice cream doesn’t have any stabilizers, it’s best eaten within a couple of days of making it.

No machine, no problem
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the custard in a bowl in the freezer. Check after about an hour; once it starts freezing, blitz through it with a hand-held electric mixer and then return it to the freezer. Repeat every so often as the mixture is freezing, until the ice cream is completely whipped and frozen.