Heat the cream and milk. Combine the heavy cream, whole milk and half of the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot and steaming — do not let it boil.

Whisk the yolks. While the cream heats, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and the salt in a large bowl until pale and slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Temper the yolks. Slowly pour about half a cup of the hot cream into the yolks, whisking constantly so the yolks warm up without scrambling. Then pour the warmed yolk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking the whole time.

Cook the custard. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, for 5–7 minutes, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (about 77°C / 170°F). Do not let it boil — boiling scrambles the yolks.

Strain, vanilla, chill. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl — this catches any small bits of cooked egg. Stir in the vanilla extract. Cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until completely cold.

Churn. Pour the cold custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions, usually 20–25 minutes, until it looks like thick soft-serve.

Freeze until firm. Transfer the churned ice cream to a loaf pan or freezer-safe container, press plastic wrap onto the surface, cover, and freeze for at least 4 hours, until firm enough to scoop.

Scoop and serve. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before scooping — homemade ice cream freezes harder than store-bought. Serve in bowls or cones, plain or with your favorite toppings.