The other night lavender ice cream was on the menu teamed with lemon bunt cake, (always a delight in my book), whipped cream, fresh berries and lemon zest for the win. The subtlety of the lavender paired with the zesty lemon was the perfect ending to my meal. Of course I immediately went home to find the recipe for lavender ice cream. It’s pretty easy, too!
You will need an in ice cream maker and candy thermometer.
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 2/3 cup mild honey
- 2 Tbs dried edible lavender flowers
- 2 large eggs
- 1/8 tsp salt
Optional garnishes: fresh lemon zest, whipped cream, blueberries and raspberries.
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.
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.
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).
Pour custard through sieve into cleaned bowl and cool completely, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.
Freeze custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
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