Scald a pint of cream; cut a vanilla bean in halves, scrape out the seeds, and rub with the sugar; then add the sugar to the cream; stir until dissolved and cold; when cold add another pint of unscalded cream. When the mixture is icy cold turn it in the freezer, pack with salt and ice, using one-third salt to two-thirds ice. Turn the crank slowly for a moment until the cream is icy cold, then stir rapidly until it is frozen.

Remove the dasher; repack and stand aside for an hour or two to ripen.

Plain Vanilla Ice Cream

Add eight ounces of powdered sugar to one quart of cream. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, and add a dessertspoonful of good extract of vanilla. Turn into the freezing-can; stir slowly at first until the cream is icy cold, then beat more rapidly until it is thoroughly frozen.