Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream

A couple weeks ago, I was gifted the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment - just in time for National Ice Cream Month! Well, it was more like my cousin already had an ice cream maker when he scored a great deal on a Kitchen Aid mixer that came with a variety of attachments (on Craigslist, no less)! So I may have bugged him about bringing the attachment with him on his recent visit to NYC...what was he gonna do with two ice cream makers anyways? All I have to say now is that I have the best. cousin. ever! You can all thank him for the indulgent, dreamy delights coming your way.

I was so excited about making ice cream that I started bookmarking recipes left and right - what should I make first? Maybe a sorbet? Or sherbet? Ohh what about gelato? I must confess that this ice cream you see here is not my first attempt with the new attachment.  I actually tried making a coconut milk ice cream, which turned out ok... definitely not as dreamy as this one.  This earl grey tea ice cream was actually my third flavor and my first attempt at a custard-base ice cream.  From what I've learned in the last couple weeks about ice cream is that custard-based ice creams are made with egg yolks, and are also referred to as French-style.  The other, is Philadelphia-style, which does not involve a custard but simply uses cream and/or milk.

Eventually, I decided on Earl Grey tea ice cream because the teas in my pantry were being neglected. Plus,  I've always been intrigued with tea-flavored foods (especially green tea) but have to limit my intake since I'm highly sensitive to caffeine.  So sad, right? What's even sadder is my lactose intolerance! No worries, I won't let that deter me from sharing more frozen creamy desserts - I will make the sacrifice for you. ;)


Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream
[print recipe]

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

5 earl grey tea bags (I used Trader Joe's "Duchess Grey")
300ml (10.5 fl oz) milk
75g (6 tbsp) caster sugar
3 medium egg yolks
250g whipping cream

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, heat milk and tea bags until just before boiling.  Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes to infuse.  Then, strain.  

In a large glass bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick, pale yellow and fluffy.  Whisk in a quarter of the tea-infused milk, then the rest of the milk, stirring well to combine.

Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water (the base of the bowl should not touch the water). Cook and stir the mixture until it thickens, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the bowl from heat and let cool to room temperature.  Stir in the cream and refrigerate.

Once chilled, churn in ice cream maker until soft set, or according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Transfer into a container and freeze for another two hours before serving.

Source: Recipe from gourmet traveller