Saturday, April 21, 2012

Honey Lavender Ice cream


Lavender is the new smell and flavor doing the rounds chez Zachs. i am hooked and am hoarding it for tough times. and good times. and fun times. It's amazing what a sniff of these babies can do to you, it's pretty amazing. When we were traveling in Turkey, this was one of the exotic things that caught my eye and i had to have a bunch.  The smell and flavor are heady, flavorful and in-your-face refreshing. It's very precious and am guarding it with a lot of love (and armed ferociousness). So stay tuned for more recipes involving this brilliant flower.


The honey lavender ice cream is one of the first things that came to my mind. David Lebovitz has a recipe in his 'The Perfect Scoop', and keeping that as inspiration, i went ahead and scaled down the number of eggs and also referred to Kitchen Fervor, her recipe is brilliant. Honey gives the ice cream gorgeous flavor and texture, plus honey and lavender are a combination made in heaven. The outcome was this brilliant, creamy and luscious ice cream that i'm licking and finishing off as i write this.

P.S: Resist the urge to add heaps of lavender and stick to the recipe. The flavor will kick in, trust me.


1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons dried lavender
2 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1/2 cup fresh cream


Bring the milk, cream, honey and lavender to a gentle boil. Once it starts boiling, take it off the flame and let the lavender steep for at least half an hour or an hour if you have that kind of time.
Strain the mixture and return it back to the flame - turn the flame on simmer.
In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks and add half a cup of the milk mixture to the yolks. Keep whisking, and add it back to the saucepan on the flame and continue to stir. Continue to cook till the custard thickens and coats the back of your spoon (approximately ten minutes). Strain to remove lumps if any and set aside to cool.
Pour into a flat bottomed tray or air tight container, cover it with a cling wrap and freeze.
Have fun with the newest cool thing! :)

30 comments:

  1. this is so gorgeous! i love it! lavender wow... the only lavender smell Ive smelt so far is from yardley lavender... and i absolutely love it ...

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    1. Thank you Sarah! :) I used to like the Yardley Lavender that we got abroad as well because i associated some very happy memories to it when growing up. But the real flowers' smell is quite unlike it i feel! There' something very vibrant, yet relaxing about it.

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  2. aah!Lavender! I used to hate the yardley lavender powder my Ammachy used. But the one time i picked fresh lavender flowers in Conoor, I was hooked! As a kid I used to call it my "dreamflower".

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    1. LOL!! That's so cute. it IS a 'dreamflower'!!!

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  3. i find there is something incredibly romantic about lavender. We visited a lavender farm a year back and need i tell you how gorgeous it was, not to mention the fragrance. I picked up a bunch from there with the intention of making some wreath and stuff for the home, but its actually a pain because once it dries up, it just starts falling all over the place, if there is even the tiniest movement. So now its all sitting in a flower vase where no one can reach...its been more than a yr and it still smells fab. I tried making lavender honey tea, lemonade and cakes, but ice cream just didnt go through my mind. Maybe i shud give it a go in summer. You are right, honey does pair extremely well with lavender :)

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    1. Wow! i bet it smells as great even now! i'm going to put some in a linen bag and keep it in my bag, for a sniff of the magic stuff when all else fails :)

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  4. Replies
    1. Hey Divya! Thanks! :) i was trying to get decent clicks before it started becoming an oozing mess, and i did'nt entirely succeed thanks to the heat here, but, better luck next time i hope! i love your theme for the showcase :)

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  5. Lavender candle is the one to be burnt to set the mood in the bedroom.... :))) Maybe an icecream works as well...!!!! For the Yardley or Ponds powder.. it just smells good..

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  6. thanks for dropping by at my space...it's a shame I never bumped into ur space before :) wonderful place with nice clicks ...
    Ice cream with lavender and honey sounds divine :)

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    1. Thank you for the kind words Vineetha! i'm surprised how i never into yours! i love the versatility of your recipes and how easily you make them!

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  7. your spoon makes me swoon. (hm... that rhyme was unintentional), but I love your spoon! actually, i love all your props. wish I had so many!

    Amanda

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    1. LOL!! Thanks Amanda, the spoon that makes us swoon was picked when on a recent trip to Istanbul. They have such beautiful stuff there, it's unbelievable!

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  8. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words. Ice cream looks perfectly made and nice clicks.

    Vardhini
    CooksJoy

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  9. Hello Vardhini! Pleasure's mine, like i said, am a big fan of kothamalli thovayal. and the ice cream, Thanks! :) it was melting so fast, and i was rushing to get decent clicks. Didnt succeed too much, but can't really help it in a weather situation such as this.

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  10. new to your space..lovely space you have ..
    happy following you..;)
    do stop by mine sometime

    Tasty Appetite

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    1. Hey Jay! Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment! Love your blog too - so much happening there! :)

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  11. hey there !! lovely post ! i agree i love lavender and have a huge bush in my backyard .....love the color the aroma and yes the flavor - it is so delicate !! am glad this recipe is without the use of ice cream maker. have some dried flowers from last year...i think am going to try this, u have tempted my taste buds :)))

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    1. Hey Simi, thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment! :) i don't have an ice cream machine, so try to do stuff sans it. and wow! how cool is the fact that you have a lavender bush in your backyard!! :)

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  12. it sounds so exotic! never cooked with lavender actually, read somehwre that it tastes like soap and was a bit paranoid bout it till now... but ur icecream has made me a convert! lovely pics

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    1. Nooooooo!! whoever had the heart to write such nasty things about lovely lavender? It does not taste like soap Deeps (not that i've tasted soap, but i get what you mean :P) do try it out if you get a chance! Good luck!

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  13. Thankyou for visiting and bringing me to your lovely space! What a perfect window for the summer. Would love to go through your posts.

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    1. Hello Shri! Thanks for the kind words! i love your space too! :)

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  14. Hey..thnks for stopping by and leaving a beautiful comment...well you are doin a gr8 job here and luv all the beautiful place settings and ur picks...happy to follow you :)

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    1. Hello Anu! Thanks so much! You are doing a great job too! :)

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  15. A girl after my own heart ! hahahha Ice cream ?! 'nuff said ! :D Your photos looks awesome !

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    1. LOL!! How awesome is that! High five! :) and thanks Anne, i loved your DDL brownies too!

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  16. totally melting for this one! bookmarking to try this summer - LOVE lavender in my food!

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    1. Thanks much! Do let me know how it turns out! and i love lavender too! maybe we should start a 'love lavender' club! LOL!

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