Honey Ice Cream

Preparation

Step 1: Infuse the milk with honey

In a saucepan, pour the milk and the heavy cream. Add half of the honey, the vanilla extract and the pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, turn off the heat and let infuse for 15 minutes, covered, so the flavours can develop.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and the remaining honey until the mixture turns pale and forms a ribbon.

Step 2: Make the custard

Strain the infused milk and pour it back into the saucepan. Bring to a simmer again, then pour it in a thin stream over the sweetened yolks while whisking vigorously. Pour everything back into the saucepan and thicken over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until it reaches 83-85°C.

The custard should coat the spatula. Remove from the heat immediately: cooking the honey too strongly would give it a slightly bitter note.

Step 3: Chill the base

Pour the custard into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

A well-chilled base is the key to a smooth ice cream: it shortens the churning time and limits ice crystal formation.

Step 4: Churn the ice cream

Pour the cold base into the ice cream maker and churn for 25 to 35 minutes, until the ice cream has the consistency of a smooth sorbet. Transfer it to an airtight container and smooth the surface with a spatula.

If you do not have an ice cream maker, pour the base into a shallow dish and freeze it, whisking every 30 minutes for 3 hours.

Step 5: Freeze and serve

Place the container in the freezer for at least 2 hours to firm up the ice cream before serving. Take it out 5 minutes before serving and scoop balls with a spoon dipped in hot water.

Serve with a drizzle of honey and some toasted flaked almonds for crunch. The ice cream keeps for 2 weeks in the freezer.