Description
This Honey Lavender Ice Cream is a delicate and creamy homemade treat that combines the floral notes of culinary lavender with the natural sweetness of honey. Infused cream and a smooth custard base create a luxurious texture, perfect for a refreshing dessert on warm days or a sophisticated finish to any meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Ice Cream Base
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender
Custard Mixture
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Infuse the Cream: In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, honey, and dried lavender. Heat over medium heat until the mixture just begins to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let the mixture steep for 15-20 minutes to infuse the lavender flavor.
- Strain the Lavender: Strain out the lavender from the cream mixture using a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids. Return the infused cream back to the saucepan and gently reheat until warm.
- Prepare the Egg Yolks: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they become light in color and slightly thickened. Gradually pour the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to temper the eggs and prevent curdling.
- Cook the Custard: Pour the combined mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes, but do not allow it to boil as this may cause the custard to curdle.
- Chill the Custard: Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve to ensure smoothness, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to chill completely and develop flavor.
- Churn the Ice Cream: Pour the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency.
- Freeze and Serve: Transfer the churned ice cream to a lidded container and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up. Scoop and enjoy your creamy homemade honey lavender ice cream!
Notes
- Use culinary lavender, not ornamental lavender, to ensure safe and pleasant flavor.
- Tempering the egg yolks with warm cream prevents them from scrambling during cooking.
- If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can freeze the custard in a container and stir vigorously every 30 minutes until firm.
- For a stronger lavender flavor, increase the amount of dried lavender by up to 1 tablespoon, but steeping time should be adjusted accordingly.
