Frozen Vanilla Custard

1 . Stage

Whisk sugar, egg yolks, and salt together until mixture becomes fluffy and changes from dark golden to pale yellow.

2 . Stage

Heat cream and milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom. Cook just until mixture starts to simmer when little bubbles begin to appear on the surface, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3 . Stage

Whisk a ladleful of hot cream mixture into egg yolk mixture. Add another ladleful and whisk thoroughly before adding the next (this will keep the eggs from cooking). Gradually add remaining cream mixture and whisk thoroughly. Whisk in vanilla, then let cool completely, 30 to 45 minutes. You can place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water to cool it faster.

4 . Stage

Pour cooled mixture into a pitcher, cover, and refrigerate until ice cold, 4 hours to overnight.

5 . Stage

Pour cold custard mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches the consistency of soft ice cream, about 20 minutes. Quickly transfer to a plastic container and place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the custard. Cover the container and freeze until firm enough to scoop, at least 3 hours. Chef John