Lemon Verbena and Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream

Submitted by French Tart

"Too hot for a cup of hot tea? (Mind you, being British, there is never a wrong time for a cup of tea for me!) However, this wonderful ice cream has all the elements of a cup of delicate Earl Grey tea, but with the added lift of lemon verbena. Perfect for a hot day or a sophisticated and elegant dessert for any summer patio party. For a quirky twist, serve the ice cream in a tea cup and saucer, or serve it in little frosted glass bowls with fresh lemon verbena leaves. Remove the ice cream from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving.(Recipe adapted from Helen Graves and Persia in Peckham.)"

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 150 ml strong earl grey tea
• 2 tablespoons dried lemon verbena or 10 large lemon verbena leaves
• 150 ml whole milk
• 150 ml single cream
• 150 ml whipping cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 110 g caster sugar

directions

1. Make your Earl Grey tea, with loose tea or tea bags, if you must! Then add the dried lemon verbena, or 10 large fresh lemon verbena leaves, stir well and allow to infuse for 10 minutes.
2. Put the freshly brewed Earl Grey tea, single cream and milk into a pan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until they thicken and pale. Remove the milk mixture from the heat, then whisk it into the egg mix.
3. Put the whole lot back onto a gentle heat until it thickens, stirring very regularly. On no account should you let this boil, otherwise the eggs will scramble. Set it aside to cool with a dampened circle of greaseproof paper on the top, to stop a skin forming.
4. When cool, either churn in an ice cream maker, adding the whipping cream towards the end of churning, or pour into a freezer-proof container, then cover it and freeze until half frozen. At this point, scoop it into a bowl, then whisk up the whipping cream and fold it into the ice cream. Put it back into the freezer until it is of ice cream consistency. You can repeat this as often as you can be bothered, to reduce the amount of crystals in the finished ice cream.
5. Remove from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. Store for up to 3 months in the freezer.