Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in the top of a double boiler or in a heavy saucepan over low heat. (The custard base scorches easily.) Blend in scalded milk, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened. This usually takes about 15 minutes. Blend a small amount of the mixture into the beaten eggs, then pour it back into the rest of the custart base and cook, stirring constantly, for four or five minutes. Chill the mixture well - an important step for smooth ice cream. Add vanilla and cream. Pour the mixture into a gallon freeze container and freeze in a hand-cranked or electric freezer. Pack the freezer with one part ice cream salt to six parts crushed ice. Freeze the mixture until the crank is hard to turn, or until the electric motor stops. Carefully remove the top of the freezer, wipe salt from the cover of the container, open the can and remove the dasher. Cover the can and repack the freezer with one part salt to eight parts crushed ice. Cover with a rug or blanket and let the ice cream riped for several hours; or put the can of ice cream into a home freezer to firm and ripen.

Butter Pecan - saute a cup of chopped pecans in 2 tablespoons of butter until the pecans are slightly browned. Cool the mixture and then add to the basic mix. But this time, prepare it with brown sugar.

Chocolate - melt 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate and add with an extra 1/2 cup sugar.

Peach or Strawberry - add to the mix 2 cups of pureed, slightly sweetened fruit. Many other fruits may be prepared in the same way. Fruit should be added after custard base is well chilled.

Chocolate Chunk - melt 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate and add with an extra 1/2 cup sugar. After custard base is well chilled add 4 or 5 'chunked-up' hershey bars when you add the vanilla, half-and-half/whipping cream.