Honey Lavender Ice Cream

Making the honey lavender ice cream, I’ve found out the remarkable flavor affinity between honey and lavender. This is not a flavor pairing I’ve put together before. However, I do remember the whole duck at Eleven Madison Park served with lavender and a honey glaze on the skin. Lavender has versatility — in both savory and sweet applications. We like it so much so that we grow them in our front yard. They attract a plethora of butterflies and bees, which joggers and dog walkers in the neighborhood take notice. At the end of the season, we dry the lavender buds to use for cooking and baking, and now in ice cream making.

The honey lavender ice cream may sound unusual, but there is nothing unusual the way it’s made. First, infuse lavender in the cream mixture.

Think vanilla, the most basic ice cream we all know and love. The lavender, like the vanilla bean, is infused in milk and cream. Other ingredients come to mind: chai, Earl Grey tea, or matcha, in a tea ball or wrapped in cheesecloth, if you will. (Yes, I’ve made bacon ice cream in the past. That counts and it rocks!) Heat the milk/cream to simmering and let the lavender steep, off the heat, for about 20 minutes. The length of time can be anyway between 5 to 20 minutes, depending on the ingredient and how strong you want the flavor to be present. Then strain the milk/cream mixture.

Incorporate nuts, fruit purées, booze and similar ingredients, which do not require straining, in the custard base for flavor.

I’m debating whether I like pistachios or walnuts in the honey lavender ice cream. Finally, I decide on pistachios because I like the green color amid the light beige creamy tone of the ice cream. Also, I hold off the pistachios, lightly roasted and chopped, until serving to sprinkle on the ice cream for an extra crunch. Set aside the nuts for each eater to design their personal ice cream treats.

Swirl in other distinct ingredients before freezing for another layer of flavor.

These are the ingredients you want to add whole, distinct and not fully incorporated in the ice cream. One particular ingredient comes to mind: halva. I like it better to have each bite with halva slightly different — nutty, chewy and hit you in the nose in varying degree. It’s a similar experience with a chunks of chocolate chips, a ribbon of caramel, or an unexpected bite of fruit. They are the extra elements which make ice cream so universally loved. Add these ingredients slowly with the machine running and churn for just a few seconds, no longer. You’re done!

A brief note on churning:

If you like the ice cream to be smooth with a seamless mouthfeel that lingers in your mouth, churn the custard base using an ice cream machine. Creaminess is a remarkable consistency we crave, perfectly balanced between solidity and fluidity, between persistence and evanescence. Be watchful for the amount of churning and the consistency of the custard base. Most recipes tell you how long the churning should take. But every custard and machine is different. No single rule prevails; it’s only a rough guide.

I rely on the following visual cues: 1) the custard has the consistency of soft serve, 2) the machine starts to labor as it turns, 3) the custard expands and becomes more airy. If you see the texture of the base looking like ice cream, you’ve gone too far.

More tips and reminders can be found here. For no-churn alternatives, these are my favorite ones.

Best about the honey lavender ice cream is how much I love inhaling the scent of lavender, its taste, creamy texture of the ice cream. And no granulated sugar in the mix. Instantly, my inner space is transported to an open and lovely field of lavender and beyond.

Print Recipe

Honey Lavender Ice Cream | Gourmet Sept 2003

By Ruth Reichl — Editor, Gourmet Magazine – Serves: 4-6

A summer favorite. No sugar, only honey. Infuse lavender buds in cream and half-and-half in equal measure. Churn in an ice cream machine for about 20 minutes. Makes about 1 quart.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (495ml) heavy cream
• 1 cup (230ml) half-and-half
• 2/3 cup (206g) mild honey
• 2 tablespoons dried edible lavender flowers*
• 2 large (100g) eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1

Bring cream, half-and-half, honey, and lavender just to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then remove pan from heat. Let steep, covered, 30 minutes.

2

Pour cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and discard lavender. Return mixture to cleaned saucepan and heat over moderate heat until hot.

3

Whisk together eggs and salt in a large bowl, then add 1 cup hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour into remaining hot cream mixture in saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat back of spoon and registers 170 to 175°F on thermometer, about 5 minutes (do not let boil).

4

Pour custard through sieve into cleaned bowl and cool completely, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.

5

Churn custard in ice cream maker until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.

6

Cooks' notes: To cool custard quickly after straining, set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir until chilled. • Custard can chill up to 1 day before freezing. • Ice cream keeps 1 week. *Available at Penzeys (800-741-7787) and Kalustyan's (800-352-3451).

Notes

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/honey-lavender-ice-cream-108526