Homemade Strawberry Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Toss the diced strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and leave for about 30 minutes, until they release their juices. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Put the cream, milk, half of the 3/4 cup sugar, the salt and the vanilla seeds and pod in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until steaming with small bubbles at the edges, then take off the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until smooth and pale. Slowly pour in about half of the hot cream in a thin stream, whisking constantly so the yolks do not scramble.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the back of the spoon and reaches 170 to 175°F (77 to 79°C). Do not let it boil.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, remove the vanilla pod and stir in the vanilla extract. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, until completely cold.

Churn the cold custard in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. In the last minute or two, add the strawberries and their juice.

Spoon into an airtight container and freeze for 2 to 4 hours, until firm enough to scoop.