Homemade Chocolate Chip French Vanilla Ice-cream

Now I haven't done any research on this, but it seems that the difference between regular vanilla and french vanilla ice-cream is the use of real eggs.  Or at least that's the only real difference I can see from the two vanilla ice-cream recipes that came with my Deni ice cream machine.  And the only reason I'm making french vanilla ice-cream is because my pasteurized egg whites were out of date when I wanted to make vanilla ice-cream.  So I gathered up my guts (I've been afraid to use real eggs in ice-cream) and got to cooking.

The recipe is straightforward; eggs, sugar, milk, cream and vanilla.  Start out with the milk and eggs blended together in a large pot.  I used my KitchenAid Hand blender, which I LOVE, but I was worried I'd end up slinging eggs all over the counter as I did while trying to make something recently.  (see that post here)  I did NOT sling eggs this time and was very pleased not to have to clean up the mess.  Add the sugar and stir constantly over low heat until thickened and the mixture coats the back of the spoon.

Now the book claims this all should take, "approximately 10 minutes".  BULL!  I stood there and stirred for 28 minutes!  I made sure to watch the clock.  Meanwhile, my two two-year olds are creating havoc around me and I'm tied to this stupid pot!  Why, you ask, did I start this when the kids were around?  Well, because I set them down at the table with play dough and if the entire process had taken 10 minutes, as advertised, I would have been fine.  But 12 minutes into it the girls are "SO DONE" with play dough and I had another 18 minutes to go!  Fabulous.  My husband comes in and wonders "why are the dogs gated off of the kitchen", "what is on the floor, the table top and in Livi's hair"?  Homemade play dough (salt dough is toxic to pets) is the answer to all of those questions, now don't bother me I'm making ice-cream and it's SUPPOSED TO BE DONE ALREADY!!!  P.S. I love you sweetie.

Custard coating the back of the spoon.

OK.  It FINALLY coats the back of the spoon and I think this is the same process for homemade custard.  Yippee!  I have concurred my fear of eggs!  Now it's time to let it cool slightly before adding the cream and vanilla.  After which point you put everything in the fridge for the night.  Did I mentioned that it's just about this time that Paul sees a line of ants marching through our kitchen and into a cabinet and he decides he needs to take everything out to clean it and find where these little buggers are going?  No? I didn't mention that part?  Well, maybe I'll leave that for another post.

Here's R2

24 hours later...No more ants, I have an empty shelf in my spice cabinet, the kids are napping (I learned my lesson) and it's into the cupboard I go to fetch R2D2 (I have affectionately named my ice-cream machine, see an early post about that).  Turn R2 on and let him spin for about 1/2 an hour.  The ice-cream is nearly over-flowing the machine and I'm adding mini-chocolate chips at my husbands request.  Let it stir a bit while I find a container to transfer it to.  No matching lid, that's OK I'll find it later, such is my life.

And this is the finished product.  Homemade Chocolate Chip French Vanilla Ice-cream.  If I never post again, you'll know that the eggs weren't fully cooked and we all died from salmonella poisoning.  Let's hope for the best.