Lavender Honey Ice Cream

I made this Ice Cream last year. It is from Williams-Sonoma Dessert Cook Book.

My honey bought me this ice cream maker last year and during the spring/summer months I like using it.

Although home-made ice -

cream can be quite expensive it is really good! Ben and Jerry's has nothing on this stuff!

Maybe I'm full of my self, but I thought I would share this recipe. For the sake of showing what some of the steps look like in the directions I have taken some pictures.

Glace au Miel de Lavande Provence, France

Ingredients:
3 C heavy cream
1C milk ( I use whole milk)
1/2 C lavender, orange blossom, or clover honey, plus honey for serving
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp dried lavender blossoms ( I found some by McCormick) Stumbled upon it at Safeway in the spice area
1 piece of vanilla bean, 2 inches long ( when I do not have the bean I use pure vanilla)
1/4 tsp salt
4 egg yolks (room temperature is best so take them out before you do the rest of the ingredients)
1/4 tsp ground cloves ( I prefer to use to taste on this part)



Steps:
1. In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cream, milk, 1/2 c of honey, brown sugar, lavender blossoms, vanilla bean, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring often until the sugar dissolves completely.

2. In a bowl, whisk the yolks until they are lemon -colored. Slowly whisk 1 c of the hot cream mixture into the yolks. ( you do no want scrambled eggs, do it very slowly)

Continue to cook, stirring

constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5-6 minutes approx.

Do not allow to boil. ( I turned my heat down a bit while stirring) Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm.

Pour through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl, discarding the lavender and vanilla bean.




(If you did not use the bean this is the time you want to add your pure vanilla extract)

Stir in the cloves.

Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions, then allow to cool completely.

Scoop into bowls and drizzle with honey.

I am also adding that you have to let the mixture cool completely before you add it to your ice cream maker. Also, the ice cream comes out looking like soft serve ice-cream. You have to freeze it for a few hours if not over night before you will have ice-cream that is hard.

I also want to note something else they do not tell you in the directions of ice cream making.

You have to let the ice cream mixture cool all the way, it should be 35 to 40 degrees in temperature.

This is the reason why I use a stainless steel bowl. I pour the warm mixture into the bowl, and then I make an ice bath in a larger bowl.

I have a picture but am having trouble with this website right now.

Put a bunch of ice in a larger bowl add a little bit of water then put your ice cream mixture bowl inside the bigger bowl.

This helps the mixture cool down more quickly. Also your ice cream mixture should thicken a lot. It should resemble a custard.

Which is basically any ice cream mixture you make that calls for eggs.

It has been an hour or so since I have started cooling mine in the ice bath and it looks like pudding.

It should be cold and look like this before you add it to your ice cream maker.