Lavender Honey Ice Cream for Casual Friday

It’s summertime, it’s Friday and the weekend is here!  We love to entertain in the summer when we can spend time outdoors with friends, fire up the grill and and prepare dishes with all the beautiful local produce that is the best part of summer.

Dessert is no different.  I make fresh cobblers, pies and crisps with blueberries, peaches and blackberries this time of year.  There is nothing better than serving them warm with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.  Ice cream.  It’s also one of our favorite desserts.  All by itself.

The scent of fresh lavender is intoxicating

I knew exactly what I was going to make when I received some gorgeous fresh lavender from a farm we visited on one of our On the Road adventures.  It is a beautiful farm and and I will be writing about it very soon.

I found a recipe on Healthy Green Kitchen for Honey Lavender Ice Cream.  It is from David Lebovitz’ The Perfect Scoop.  His Double Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream was absolutely luscious, so I looked no further.

Use fresh lavender if you can find it

The delicate flavor of lavender is subtle in this ice cream.  It has the right amount of sweetness from the honey and is rich and creamy.  It was the perfect ending to a dinner with friends filled with great food, wine and laughter.  The season for lavender is short, so find some at a Farmers’ Market before it’s all gone and make this delightful ice cream.

The perfect way to end an evening

Have a great weekend!

Honey Lavender Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey (I used a local honey)
1/4 cup dried or fresh lavender leaves (I used fresh)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used organic)
5 large egg yolks (preferably organic and free-range)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, heat the honey and 2 tablespoons of the lavender. When it's warm, remove from heat and let steep for at least 1 hour.

Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and place a mesh strainer on top. Pour the lavender-infused honey into the cream through the strainer, pressing down on the lavender flowers to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard the lavender flowers and place the strainer back over the cream.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the whole mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir in the remaining lavender flowers and stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, before churning, strain the mixture, again pressing the lavender flowers to extract their flavor. Discard the flowers and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop - David Lebovitz and Healthy Green Kitchen

 

We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.