- We tried many types of tea before settling on this one for our ice cream. Earl Grey, a black tea infused with the citrus fruit bergamot, has a distinctive fruity flavor that really comes through even when combined with milk, cream, sugar, and eggs and frozen into ice cream. Other black teas will work well in this recipe, too. Whichever kind of tea it is, be sure that it is good, fresh loose-leaf tea. Older tea will not have as much flavor and will require a longer steeping time.
- To prevent little bits of tea leaves from infiltrating the final product, use the finest-mesh strainer you have.
MAKES ABOUT: 1 quart
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Ice cream machine
INFUSING AND CHILLING TIME: 2 hours or overnight
SHELF LIFE: 1 week
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup 1% or 2% milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons loose-leaf Earl Grey tea
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 large egg yolks
INSTRUCTIONS:
Infuse the Milk/Cream:
- In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, half of the sugar (¼ cup), the tea, and salt.
- Put the pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture just begins to bubble around the edges, remove from the heat and cover the pan. Let steep for about 10 minutes, or until the cream has taken on the distinct flavor of Earl Grey tea. (Stir occasionally and taste it to monitor the progress.)
Make the Base: 3. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks just to break them up, then whisk in the remaining half of the sugar (¼ cup). Uncover the cream mixture and put the pan over medium heat.
- Carefully scoop out about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture and, whisking the eggs constantly, add the cream to the bowl with the egg yolks. Repeat, adding another ½ cup of the hot cream to the bowl with the yolks. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the cream in the saucepan as you slowly pour the egg-and-cream mixture from the bowl into the pan.
- Cook the mixture carefully over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened, coats the back of a spatula, and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula, about 3 minutes longer.
- Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. Set the container into an ice-water bath, wash your spatula, and use it to stir the base occasionally until it is cool. Remove the container from the ice-water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Freeze the Ice Cream:7. Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the ice cream is churning, put the container you’ll use to store the ice cream into the freezer. Enjoy right away or, for a firmer ice cream, transfer to the chilled container and freeze for at least 4 hours.
MAKE IT YOUR OWN:
- Use any high-quality loose-leaf tea. Oolong is especially good.
SERVE IT WITH..
- Orange-Cardamom Ice Cream
- Hot Fudge Sauce or Caramel Sauce
- Shortbread or Chocolate Shortbread
