Peel and cut the beets into small pieces. Place in a small saucepan, over low heat, a tbsp of water. Simmer for about 20-minutes. Cool completely.
In a food processor, puree the soft cooked beets along with all the beetroot juice and 1/2 cup of the whole milk. Set aside.
In a saucepan, on medium/low, whisk the sugar, remaining milk and egg yolks until the sugar dissolves. Add the pureed beets, pouring through a fine sieve, and simmer, stirring constantly, until the thermometer registers 160. Remove from the stove.
Place the cream into a pourable container (that will hold at least 4 cups), add the simmered beet mixture, whisk in the vanilla, cover and chill for at least an hour or overnight.
Pour the chilled cream mixture into the prepared/frozen ice cream maker (following the manufacturer's instructions), and churn for about 20-minutes. Serve, or scoop out into cupcake papers and freeze in an airtight container.
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Notes
Roasting beets in their skin, in a small baking dish with just a little bit of water on the bottom of the pot, lid on, for 50 minutes, is another way to precook the beets instead of boiling.
Scooping the ice cream into cupcake papers, set in a muffin tin and freezing, makes it easier to serve the ice cream at another time. Once the ice cream is frozen, transfer the individual servings into an airtight container and store in the freezer.