EARL GREY ICE CREAM
Tea ice creams are some of the easiest ice creams to make. Since tea leaves naturally release their flavors when steeped, it’s simply a process of making a standard custard and throwing in your favorite tea or tisane.
To be honest, I’ve never be a tea person. Where I come from in the South, no one drinks tea unless it’s iced and so sweet it makes your teeth hurt. Moving north to New York, I was introduced to a new class of people… hot tea drinkers.
Seeing people sipping steaming cups of tea was really quaint to me. It reminded me of the whole “Boston Tea Party” chapter of my country’s history… a time when men wore tricorn hats and ponytails instead of beanies and man buns. If coffee-drinkers remind me of vaqueros and forty-niners (the gold prospectors, not the football players), then I would have to say tea-drinkers remind me of Paul Revere and minutemen.
Many, many, many years after the Revolution ended, when I moved to England, I was hard-pressed to find a good cup of coffee even in London… and even if I did it usually had to be some special cappuccino/latte concoction for 5£ a pop. Thomas had to bring me a regular drip coffee maker from France so I wouldn’t go broke or crazy, whichever came first. I did try and drink English Breakfast tea for awhile… but let’s just say it’s been two years and I still haven’t finished the original Twinning’s box.
When I moved to France, I would watch my mother-in-law drink Earl Grey by the bowlful at breakfast. (Not even kidding. The French drink hot breakfast beverages out of bowls, which is oddly hedonistic, and I love it.) She adores Earl Grey and even brings it in her suitcase on trips so she won’t miss out on her favorite breakfast bev.
It wasn’t until I visited Canada recently that I actually began to really enjoy tea without trying to. Maybe it’s some special way they make it, or maybe I was just too cold to be picky. Although, I did like the chilled Kombucha teas as well, so maybe the warmth argument is out.
Inspired by the Canadians and their Earl Grey hybrids like the London Fog, I decided that Earl Grey would go gorgeously with so many flavors that I had to make an ice cream.
The richness of the black tea combined with the bergamot peel and the chilled cream is a lovely way to end a meal of roasted lamb or complement a citrus cake. Just Remember, Earl Grey is a caffeinated tea. If you or one of your guests is sensitive to caffeine, I would avoid serving it after a time when you would normally stop drinking coffee or tea.
Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
(Makes about a half quart)
1 cup heavy cream (240 mL)
1/2 cup whole milk (120 mL)
6 tablespoons sugar (75 grams)
2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
1/8 teaspoon salt (a small pinch)
3 egg yolks
Bowl of ice water
Tools:
Small sauce pot
Heavy Bottom Pot or Double boiler (Don’t have a Double Boiler? Don’t worry, just place a medium bowl over the top of a pot with a an inch or two of water simmering in the bottom.)
Whisk
Sieve
Large bowl & smaller bowl (ice bath)
Wooden spoon*
Thermometer*
*Ideal, not essential
Instructions:
1. Place a sieve over a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Set your heavy-bottom pan or double boiler over medium high heat. Add the milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt stirring occasionally until the sugar has melted and steam begins to rise from the surface.
3. Stir in the Earl Grey tea leaves, cover with a clean cloth, and remove it from the heat. Let sit for 1 hour.
4. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. Float the bowl of your reserved cream in the water to chill. Keep a sieve nearby for later. (This will become an ice bath for cooling the custard later on.)
5. After 1 hour of steeping, remove the cloth and rewarm the dairy mixture so that it resumes steaming.
6. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Once it is uniform, add a tablespoon of the steaming dairy mixture while still whisking. Repeat until you have added 3 - 4 tablespoons of the dairy mixture to the yolks. Add the yolk mixture back into the rest of the dairy mixture, stirring continuously with a spatula or wooden spoon. Make sure to mix the bottom as well. The custard will be done cooking once the mixture is thick enough to glaze the back of the spoon. Run your finger across the back of the spoon. If the custard remains separated, it is done cooking.
7. Strain the custard into floating bowl of chilled heavy cream, pressing on the tea leaves to get the most flavor out of them. Discard the leaves. Stir the custard until cool. (5-ish minutes)
8. Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least four hours. Letting it sit even longer, perhaps overnight, is even better.
9. When you are ready to churn, follow the instructions of your ice cream maker. Pour your chilled custard into your machine and let it churn until it has the texture you desire.
10. Store the ice cream in a pre-chilled, air-tight container and freeze!
This Earl Grey Ice Cream will keep for about one week.
Notes :
+ There is more than one way to do this recipe. In some cases, I’ve had better results by adding the tea leaves to the dairy mixture (with all of the heavy cream, not just half) for 1 - 2 mins after it begins steaming and then straining them out. It is a quicker method, but it also requires careful attention as the flavor of the custard might become too strong.
+ You can generally find loose Earl Grey tea leaves at specialty health food stores, but if you don’t have one in your town don’t worry. You can buy regular teabags of Earl Grey and then cut them open to get the leaves out.
+ Don’t forget, Earl Grey is a caffeinated tea. If you or one of your guests is sensitive to caffeine, I would avoid serving it after a time when you would normally stop drinking coffee or tea.
Great pairings for Earl Grey:
Sweet: Creamy Desserts (Panna Cotta, Cheese Cake, Choux, Éclairs) Citrusy Desserts (Tartes au Citron, Lemon Bars, Grapefruit Poppyseed Cake) Honey, Lavender, Banana Bread, Vanilla, Almond, Oats/Granola, Chocolate, Cakes (from light to rich), basically all fruit jams
Savory: Buttery Croissants, Toasted Baguette, Roasted Meats (Ham, Lamb, Venison), Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese
Earl Grey Ice Cream
Laura | October 2018
Prep & Cooking time: 20 minutes
Sitting Time 1 hour
Chilling time: 4 hours
Total time: ~ 5 hours 20 minutes
Servings: Makes about one half quart of ice cream
Level of Skill: Easy
Ingredients:
- 1 cup heavy cream (240 mL)
- 1/2 cup whole milk (120 mL)
- 6 tablespoons sugar (75 grams)
- 2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon salt (a small pinch)
- 3 egg yolks
Instructions:
Place a sieve over a medium bowl and set aside.
Set your heavy-bottom pan or double boiler over medium high heat.
Add the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt stirring occasionally until the sugar has melted and steam begins to rise from the surface.
Stir in the Earl Grey tea leaves, cover with a clean cloth, and remove it from the heat. Let sit for 1 hour.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. (This will become an ice bath for cooling the custard later on.)
After 1 hour of steeping, remove the cloth, and rewarm the dairy mixture back so that it resumes steaming.
Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Once it is uniform, add a tablespoon of the steaming dairy mixture while still whisking. Repeat until you have added 3 - 4 tablespoons of the dairy mixture to the yolks. Add the yolk mixture back into the rest of the dairy mixture, stirring continuously with a spatula or wooden spoon. Make sure to mix the bottom as well. The custard will be done cooking once the mixture is thick enough to glaze the back of the spoon. Run your finger across the back of the spoon. If the custard remains separated, it is done cooking.
Strain the custard into floating bowl of chilled heavy cream, pressing on the tea leaves to get the most flavor out of them. Discard the leaves. Stir the custard until cool. (5-ish minutes)
Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least four hours. Letting it sit even longer, perhaps overnight, is even better.
When you are ready to churn, follow the instructions of your ice cream maker. Pour your chilled custard into your machine and let it churn until it has the texture you desire.
Store the ice cream in a pre-chilled, air-tight container and freeze!
Nutrition:
(per 1/2 cup serving)
Servings: Four 1/2 cup sized scoops
Fat: 15 grams
Calories: 238
Nutrition estimated by Happyforks.com