Although it is October 1st today, it definitely does not feel like it in Southern California. We have been looking forward to it cooling down so that we can start shooting the photographs for our next book, but it looks like we are in for some record-breaking heat, and that put us in the mood for some ice cream. This time of year tends to bring on a myriad of sicknesses, whether it’s the common cold or a severe case of the flu. I’ve always been told that honey and ginger have great healing powers and this recipe from our recent eBook, chill, for Honey Vanilla Gingersnap Ice Cream happens to be one of my favorites. It’s perfect for a hot autumn day (or a cold one if you happen to be lucky enough to be experiencing that) and I don’t know about you, but I would certainly rather take my medicine as ice cream.
Ingredients
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
2/3 (160ml) cup honey
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla
1 cup (150g) gingersnap cookie pieces
Directions
Put the milk in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean down the center. Using the dull edge of the knife, scrape the seeds into the milk mixture, then add the bean pod. Warm mixture over medium heat until it is almost boiling, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and cover. Let the vanilla steep (infuse) in the milk until it cools to about room temperature, usually about an hour. Warm the honey slightly and blend with cream in a large bowl and place a sieve/strainer on top. Whip the egg yolks until creamy and bright yellow and set aside. Put the milk mixture over medium heat again until it reaches about 140-150 degrees. Gradually pour a small amount of the warmed milk into the egg yolks to temper, whisking constantly. Keep adding small amounts until the eggs have warmed slightly, then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk. Cook over low to medium heat until the custard thickens and reaches between 170-175 degrees or until the custard forms a film on the back of a wooden spoon (this one will heat very quickly because there is less liquid, so keep a close eye on it). Strain the mixture through the sieve into the heavy cream/honey, keeping the vanilla bean in. Put the bowl into an ice bath to chill quickly (the faster the base chills, the less icy it will be). Add the vanilla extract. Refrigerate for several hours, preferably overnight. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the base according to the manufacturer’s instructions on your machine. Add the cookie pieces about two minutes before the end of the freezing cycle. When done, put it in the freezer for several hours to reach a firm consistency.
NOTE:
If you don’t yet own an ice cream maker, we recommend looking at the machines by Cuisinart. We used both the ICE-21 consumer machine and the ICE-100 professional model during the making of chill and both performed flawlessly.
We hope you enjoy Honey Vanilla Gingersnap and encourage you to pick up a copy of chill for yourself. And, at just USD $5, you can afford to gift one to a friend or two.
