Lavender Honey Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream?  Is it really worth the time?  I too was once a skeptic. Lugging out the bulky ice cream maker or, worse yet, trudging to the store to buy one. Freezing the canister for an obscene amount of time, measuring and cooking the base, slowly churning and then, the worst part, having to wait for your ice cream to freeze.  It seems a bit much when most of us can hop on our bikes and grab a cone at the neighborhood ice cream shop in a fraction of the time it takes to make it at home. Well, I'm here to tell you that this creamy, flavorful and indulgent ice cream will make all of the toil worth it.  Floral, French lavender steeped in cream.  A bit of golden honey.  Rich, sweet, creamy and perfect on a hot summer night.  I prefer a less "eggy" ice cream and this recipe fits that bill.  Of course, if eggs are your thing adapt the recipe as you wish.  I also prefer a lot of lavender flavor.  If you want to use a bit less, be my guest.  However you make it, this ice cream will seriously make you swoon and, trust me, it is completely worth the trouble.

Lavender Honey Ice Cream
makes 1 pint
(technique and recipe adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home)

1 1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 cup dried lavender (be sure to use culinary lavender)

1 1/2 quart electric ice cream maker, I have this one.

Before you begin, make sure your ice cream maker canister is completely frozen.  (If new, this will take about 24 hours).

Create an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water, heavy on the ice.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 2 Tbsp of the milk until smooth.  Set aside.  In a medium to large bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, honey and salt.  Set aside.

In a large sauce pot, combine the rest of the milk with the cream, sugar and corn syrup.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and allow it to boil for approximately 4 minutes.  (Be careful as this mixture has a tendency of boiling over the sides of the pot).  Remove mixture from the heat, add in the lavender and allow it to steep for 10 minutes.

Strain out the lavender from the mixture and return it to the pot.  Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and, again, bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir with a rubber spatula and boil until the mixture just begins to thicken, about one minute.

Remove the pot from the stove and slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture, making sure to whisk away any lumps.  Once completely mixed, transfer the base to a one quart, sealable freezer bag.  Seal the bag tightly and submerge the bag in the ice bath.  Allow it to sit until completely chilled, about 30 minutes.

Once the mixture has chilled, remove the frozen canister from the freezer and set up your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer instructions.  Pour the cold mixture into the canister and turn on the machine.  Allow the ice cream to churn for 25 minutes.

Transfer ice cream into a freezer-safe airtight container.  Place a piece of waxed paper over the ice cream to seal in the flavor.  Allow ice cream to freeze for about 4 hours before enjoying.

Surprisingly floral, woody and delicate, lavender is perhaps my favorite ice cream flavoring.

After steeping lavender buds in cream, strain them out using a fine mesh sieve.  

Transfer ice cream base to a large freezer bag and submerge in an ice bath until chilled.

Churn the sweet and creamy base until slightly thickened.

Once the churning has finished, the ice cream still needs to be frozen a bit longer.  

Cover ice cream with waxed paper to seal in the flavor, put the lid on and allow it to freeze for 4 hours.

Pure white, creamy bliss.  So worth the time and trouble.