honey lavender ice cream with dairyland (ad)
Honey lavender ice cream. I was inspired by the subtle flavours of the lavender fields I visited a few weeks ago and local honey, to create this deliciously silky ice cream. I used Canadian Dairyland Microfiltered Milk which has a lighter, fresher taste compared to regular milk, and it really lets the flavours of the ice cream shine through. (You can read more about Microfiltered Milk here!
I used local honey to sweeten the ice cream base, and then I crushed culinary grade dried lavender in my mortar and pestle with a bit of sugar to infuse the floral flavour. The result was an incredibly light and silky ice cream that is perfect for a summer day. For serving, I grilled fresh Okanagan peaches on my cast iron grill pan, cooled them slightly, and then scooped ice cream over top. Any stone fruit that’s in season, or baked apples or pears would be a wonderful treat!
honey lavender ice cream (with grilled peaches)
ingredients
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) Dairyland Microfiltered 2% Milk
2 cups (480 ml) Dairyland Whipping Cream
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
3/4 tsp culinary grade dried lavender
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (60 ml) liquid honey
1/8 tsp salt
to make the ice cream
In a large pot with a thick bottom, heat the milk and cream together on medium low heat.
While the milk and cream are heating, grind up the lavender with a tablespoon or two of sugar. This can be done in a mortar and pestle, or a small food processor (use a bit more sugar if using a food processor).
Mix the lavender sugar, egg yolks, honey, and salt together until smooth.
Once the milk and cream mixture has started to steam, remove about 1/4 cup of it and slowly stream it into the sugar and yolk mixture, mixing the entire time. Slowly add another 1/4 cup of the hot liquid into the sugar mixture, mixing until completely combined. Then add the whole thing back into the milk and cream that remained on the heat. (This process ensures that the egg yolks don’t cook out separately when they are mixed into hot liquid).
Stir everything together, and continue to heat over medium low heat for 8-10 minutes. This custard style ice cream base should thicken slightly and reach 165 degrees F by the end of the cook time. If you stick a wooden spoon into the mixture and pull it out, you should be able to run your finger through the liquid and it won’t drip through the path your finger made. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Transfer room temperature ice cream base to an airtight container and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours.
Once chilled, add the ice cream base to your ice cream maker and follow the machine’s directions. Mine takes about 25 minutes to create thick and fluffy ice cream. Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the freezer until ready to serve.
to make the grilled peaches
Carefully slice the peaches in half, removing the pit.
Heat a grill pan (or bbq) on medium heat. Brush the grill pan and the cut side of each peach half with a generous amount of butter to keep it from sticking. Set the peach halves cut side down onto the pan, and grill for 3-4 minutes, or until desired doneness. Gently wiggle the peaches every 30 seconds or so to prevent them from sticking. Brush on more butter if needed.
Remove peaches from heat and let cool slightly before serving, otherwise the ice cream will melt pretty quickly. Enjoy!
tips:
Culinary dried lavender can be found at local farms (look up lavender farms in your area), in the spice section of bulk stores (ex: Bulk Barn), or specialty kitchen stores may carry some.
The ice cream may be served immediately as soft serve, but I recommend serving it in a bowl with peach slices on top as the ice cream won’t hold it’s shape for very long.
Happy ice cream making!