Homemade ice cream is best in months with three or more letters in their name. Our first batch of the summer is honey rosemary with a citrus twist. Rosemary is one of my favorite flavors and this ice cream tastes nice and light on a hot day.
You’ll need:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk (whole preferred but use whatever you have)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- a couple shakes of salt
- 2 large sprigs of rosemary
- 1/8 tsp Fiori di Silicia (this is where the citrus flavor comes from)
I usually prefer no-heat ice cream recipes because I’m lazy, but this one is worth the extra effort. Heat the cream, milk, honey, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and Fiori di Sicilia, stirring over low heat until warm and completely mixed. Add the rosemary, cover, and steep for 30 minutes — you can do this off the heat to be safe, or you can do this as low as your stove will go if you like a strong rosemary flavor. I let it go without heat for the first half and then add it back in for the last 10-15 minutes.
Chill the mixture after it’s done. Don’t be impatient/rushed and not let it cool completely, or it won’t get cold enough in the ice cream maker for enough ice crystals to form. You won’t get enough nucleation once it goes into the freezer, and you will have to wait much longer for it to harden. Er, or so I hear.
When the liquid mixture is done chilling, whip the eggs and gradually whip in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, then whip in the cream mixture and follow your ice cream maker’s directions (we use the ice cream attachment for our KitchenAid mixer and transfer the ice cream into two chilled Zak Designs pint containers).
Some people add the eggs when they’re heating the initial mixture, but you have to be cautious not to get it too hot. You can also omit the eggs entirely, which I did the first time I made this, but eggs will give you a smoother ice cream and will make it melt just a little more slowly. Homemade ice cream melts so darn fast anyway that I’ll take any advantage I can get.
What’s your favorite homemade flavor?
