Before we can toss everything into the ice cream machine, we'll need to turn them into a custard. Whisk together all of these ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat over low heat, constantly whisking to prevent a skin from forming. Bring almost to a simmer, then remove from heat immediately. When it's ready, the mixture should coat the back of a metal spoon. The light corn syrup makes the end result denser and fudgier than a regular ice cream recipe that only uses sugar. You could use honey instead, but use a little less to avoid overpowering the other flavors. Separate the egg yolks. Beat them in a separate bowl or mixer until slightly thick. The main difference between a custard base and an ice cream base is the number of egg yolks. If you enjoy extremely rich, smooth, eggy custard, you can increase this to six or seven egg yolks. . Pour a thin stream of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. You must pour very slowly and whisk vigorously to avoid cooking the eggs. You can stop once once the eggs are thoroughly combined with about half of the milk mixture.  Alternatively, pour a small spoonful of milk into the eggs, whisk while counting to ten, and repeat. This is slower, but less likely to cook the eggs. Keep the bowl stable by placing a rolled-up towel around it. This allows you to whisk with one hand while pouring with the other. If you notice any bits of scrambled egg, strain them out and temper the rest more carefully. Pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat once the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, and leaves a line behind when you run a clean finger through the coating. If you have a cooking thermometer, bring the mixture to 170ºF (75ºC). Again, if you notice any lumps, strain them out before you continue. Remove the vanilla bean pod as well, if using. Pour the custard into a bowl and stir in the heavy cream until combined. Stir in a little salt as well, less than you would for a regular ice cream base. Frozen custard is warmer than ice cream, which makes salt and sugar seem stronger-tasting. Press a sheet of plastic over the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Chill the bowl in a cold refrigerator, and/or in an ice bath as well. For best results, chill for 4–8 hours. You can continue after an hour or two as long as the custard is cold to the touch, but the end result will be chewier.  Keep the custard in the coldest part of the fridge. This is usually the back of the lowest shelf, or the back of the top shelf if your fridge has an ice-making component.  A wide, shallow bowl will chill more quickly than a deep one. Commercial manufacturers use a special frozen custard machine, but this recipe is intended for a regular, home ice cream machine. Follow your machine's instructions to freeze the custard base, or set it to churn for 20–40 minutes.  If your ice cream machine allows you to control the churning speed, reduce it to the minimum setting. (Most do not have this option.) To make a "concrete," finely chop candy or cookies, freeze them, and add them the machine during the last two minutes of churning. The custard will melt quickly, so it's best eaten right away. If you prefer a harder frozen custard, stick it in the freezer for a couple hours. Unlike ice cream, this will lose its texture rapidly, and is best eaten within a few hours.

Summary: Heat half-and-half, sugar, light corn syrup, and vanilla. Beat the egg yolks. Temper the eggs with the milk mixture Heat to form a custard. Stir heavy cream and salt into the custard. Cover in plastic wrap and chill. Churn in an ice cream machine. Serve.


Pack them loosely and rid the container of as much air as possible. Keep the dried tomatoes in a cool, dark, dry place. If you have put your dried tomatoes in an air-tight container, you can also store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

Summary: Store the dried tomatoes in a plastic bag or glass jar.


The marking, or hallmark, tells you what percentage of gold an item consists of. The hallmark is often printed on jewelry clasps or the inner bands of rings. It is usually visible on the surface of coins and bullion. The stamp is a number from 1 to 999 or 0K to 24K depending on what kind of grading system was used.  Use a magnifying glass to help you identify the hallmark. It can be tough to make out by eye, especially on smaller pieces of gold such as rings. Older pieces of jewelry may not have visible hallmarks. Sometimes the hallmark wears off over time, while in other cases the jewelry never got a stamp. Hallmarking became common in the 1950s in some areas, but in India for instance, it only became mandatory in the year 2000. Most coins and jewelry are not pure gold, so they have other metals mixed in. There are 2 different scales used to indicate this through the hallmark. The number rating system used in Europe runs from 1 to 999 with 999 meaning pure gold. The U.S. uses a scale from 0 to 24K, where 24K is pure gold.  The number rating system is easier to read than the karat rating system. For example, a rating of 375 means your item consists of 37.5% gold. What number means gold depends on the country you are in. In the U.S., for example, anything 9K and under is not considered to be gold, even though a 9K bracelet consists of 37.5% gold. Counterfeit pieces may have markings making them look authentic, so don’t go solely on the hallmark unless you’re certain you are holding gold. Some of the common letters you may see are GP, GF, and GEP. These letters indicate that your gold piece is plated, which means the maker put a thin layer of gold over another metal, such as copper or silver. Your item has some gold in it, but it isn’t considered to be real gold.  GP stands for gold plated, GF means gold filled, and GEP means gold electroplate. The markings vary a little depending on where the gold is from. For instance, gold from India contains a small triangle symbol indicating the government council responsible for the rating system. It then has a number rating and a letter code, such as K, for the jeweler. Gold is pretty soft for a metal, so plated gold often rubs away over time. The best places to check are around the edges of jewelry and coins. These spots often rub up against your skin and clothing throughout the day. If you see a different metal underneath the gold, you know your item is plated and not considered real gold. For example, a silver coloring might indicate silver or titanium. A red coloring could mean copper or brass. Pure gold doesn’t react with sweat or oil from your skin, so if you see black or green marks, they are from other metals. Silver leaves behind black marks and copper leaves behind green marks. If you see a lot of these marks on your skin, your gold may be less pure than you expect. Keep in mind that most gold items are blends of gold and other metals. Even something like a 14K piece of jewelry, 58.3% gold, can leave these marks. Use other tests as well to ensure your gold is authentic.
Summary: Look for an official number marking on the gold. Use the number marking to determine how much gold is in your piece. Check for a letter marking indicating that the gold isn’t pure. Find any noticeable discolorations where the gold has worn away. Note any discolorations on your skin from wearing or holding the gold.