Honey Rosemary Ice Cream

I happen to have some very delicious honey and with all the great fruit in abundance right now I thought it would be a very good time to make some honey ice cream. And since I love honey and rosemary together, I threw some into the batch.

I keep the mixture simple to make by eliminating eggs and the need to cook a custard. The result is a soft and delicious ice cream with a clean bright flavor that can be matched with all kinds of fruit and all sorts of cookies from graham crackers and chocolate wafers to pain d’amande and pine nut cookies. Not to mention madeleines!


Bench notes:
- When I refer to "rosemary sprigs" in the recipe, I mean a sprig like those in the photo. Each one is about 4” long, so the recommended amount would be about 6” of rosemary sprig. This doesn’t need to be precise since you’ll be tasting for strength during the steeping period. The sprigs are steeped whole; no need to chop or mince.
- This ice cream would be great with any stone fruit, figs, pears, oranges or blackberries.


Honey Rosemary Ice Cream

2 C heavy cream
1 C whole milk
1/2 C honey
1/4 C sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 sprigs of rosemary

Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan and add the honey, sugar and salt. Simmer over medium low heat until the sugar and honey are fully dissolved. Remove from heat and add the rosemary sprigs. Cover and steep for about 20 minutes to a half hour, tasting every 10 minutes for strength. When you have the right flavor, remove the rosemary sprigs and pour the mixture into an airtight container. Chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker. Pour into a clean airtight container, press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and cover with the lid. Place in your freezer to firm up.