Thomas Jefferson's Vanilla Ice Cream w/ easy chocolate sauce

Chill out with this frozen treat from the 3rd President of the United states. No vanilla bean on hand? Substitute 1 Tbs. vanilla extract for the vanilla bean. Stir the extract into the cream mixture after the ice-water bath.

Sneak a sweet lesson about the founding father of ice cream with this kid-pleasing dessert. Thomas Jefferson is credited with jotting down the first American recipe for this treat.

Prep: 15 min + chilling   Process: 20 min./ batch + freezing   Makes: 2 1/4 QT.

• 2 qt. heavy whipping cream
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 vanilla bean
• 6 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1. In a large heavy saucepan, combine cream and sugar. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise. With a sharp knife, scrape seeds into pan; add bean. Heat cream mixture over med. heat until bubbles form around sides of pan, stirring to dissolve sugar.
2. In a bowl, whisk a small amount of the hot mixture into egg yolks. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly.
3. Cook over low heat until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and temperature reaches 160 degrees, stirring constantly but gently. Do not boil. Immediately transfer to a bowl.
4. Place bowl in an ice-water bath for a few min., stirring occasionally. Discard vanilla bean. Press waxed paper onto surface of custard. Refrigerate until cold.
5. Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer 2/3 full; freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. (Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze.) When ice cream is frozen, transfer to a freezer container; freeze for 4-6 hrs. before serving. Repeat with remaining mixture.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE:

1. It takes a minute to make magic with this homemade chocolate hard shell ice cream topper. Simply place 8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips and 1 Tbs. vegetable oil in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave for 30 seconds. Give the mixture a stir, then finish in the microwave for another 30 seconds. Cool slightly and spoon the chocolate mixture over your favorite ice cream, or use for dipping ice cream bars!