Put the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer.
Whisk the yolks together and set aside.
Add half of the dates to a food processor with the milk. Run until well combined, 3-4 minutes.
Warm the milk & date mixture with the vanilla and rough chopped dates until it just lightly simmers. Use a whisk to break up the chunks of dates. (If using a vanilla bean, slice lengthwise, scrape out the specks of vanilla, and add the bean and specks to the milk mixture.)
Temper the egg mixture with the milk/date/vanilla mixture.
Return to the sauce pan and cook until thickened, stirring slowly and constantly. It should get to 170F.
Remove from heat. Add the cream. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, add your chilled ice cream to your ice cream maker. Churn (stir setting) until it is the thickness of soft serve ice cream, 20-25 minutes.
Transfer to a container you can freeze, cover with parchment paper, and freeze at least 4 hours.
Optional: Top with roughly chopped pistachios before serving!
Video
Notes
This ice cream doesn't freeze as hard as other homemade ice creams because of all the dates, so be sure to give it that full freeze or enjoy it like a soft serve!Although you can make ice cream without an ice cream maker, most methods yield a less smooth texture. You can try freezing the ice cream base into an ice cube tray and blending them together, but the end result isn't perfect.If you don't have an ice cream maker, I recommend making semifreddo, instead. You can use this semifreddo guide for any flavor, or make this Strawberry Matcha Semifreddo.