Lavender Ice Cream (Printable Format)
Creamy frozen dessert infused with delicate lavender flowers and vanilla for an elegant, refreshing treat.
# What You Need:
→ Dairy Base
01 - 2 cups heavy cream
02 - 1 cup whole milk
→ Custard Mixture
03 - 5 large egg yolks
04 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar
→ Flavorings
05 - 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Optional
07 - 1 drop purple food coloring
# How-To Steps:
01 - Combine milk and lavender buds in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until just simmering. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes to extract floral flavor.
02 - Strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve to remove lavender buds, pressing gently to extract maximum flavor. Return the infused milk to the saucepan.
03 - Whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl until pale yellow and slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
04 - Slowly pour warm lavender milk into egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to prevent curdling and temper the eggs.
05 - Return mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until custard thickens and coats back of spoon (170°F). Do not allow to boil.
06 - Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Add food coloring if using for purple hue.
07 - Pour custard through fine sieve into clean bowl. Cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate minimum 4 hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled.
08 - Process chilled mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer instructions. Transfer to lidded container and freeze 2-4 hours until firm.
09 - Scoop into bowls and garnish with additional lavender buds or edible flowers if desired. Serve immediately.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The flavor is sophisticated but somehow comforting, like eating a summer garden in creamy form
- People genuinely cannot guess the secret ingredient, which makes you look like a kitchen magician
02 -
- Over steeping the lavender makes the ice cream taste like soap, fifteen minutes is the sweet spot
- If your custard curdles even slightly, pour it through a fine sieve and keep going, it will still churn beautifully
03 -
- Chill your ice cream container in the freezer before transferring the churned ice cream for faster firming
- Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard while chilling to prevent a skin from forming