flower swirled ice cream
Have you ever witnessed the captivating dance of frozen flower petals on your tongue? It’s a sensation that transports you to a realm of enchantment, where nature’s delicate beauty intertwines with the pleasures of indulgence.
In my culinary exploration with edible flowers, I discovered a delightful secret hidden within freezing edible flower petals–bringing forth an extraordinary experience. As these vibrant blossoms are incorporated into creamy swirls of frozen custard, a magical transformation occurs: their once tender and pliable nature dissolves into a soft, melt in your mouth texture, while releasing their essence into a symphony of flavors that is unlike anything else.
You can infuse the ice cream by gently steeping flavoring into the cream / milk mixture before tempering. Some of my favorite flavors are jasmine tea, Thai tea, butterfly pea flowers, geranium leaves, Makrut lime leaves.
Recipe
SERVES: 6 peoples
TOTAL TIME: 40 mins
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
2/3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large whole eggs
optional: 1 teaspoon loose tea / dried flower petals / petal dust
INSTRUCTIONS:
Bring cream, milk, and sugar just to a boil, stirring occasionally, and remove pan from heat. If you are infusing with an herb, tea or flower, add the milk mixture when you put into the pot.
In a large bowl lightly beat eggs. Add hot cream mixture to eggs in a slow stream, whisking, and pour into pan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a thermometer registers 170°F. (Do not let boil.) Pour custard through a sieve into a clean bowl and cool. Chill custard, covering the surface with plastic or a beeswax wrap (only if the custard is at room temperature) for at least 3 hours, or until cold, and up to 1 day.
Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Then, prep your flowers to add petals. It looks best if the florals are a variety of colors. Add 3 scoops of the frozen ice cream into your container, then a layer of the first flower petals and then repeat, 3 scoops of custard, flower petals, repeat, repeat. Make sure the sides of your container are clean so that the petals can be seen through the container. As for the flower petals— I like using scissors and cutting the petals directly on top of the cream, that way I can control how large the petals are-- the goal should be petals the size of a dime. You don’t have to use different flower petals, one variety of flower will work beautifully. Place a lid on your container and put in freezer to harden overnight.
ADDITIONALS:
Hacks:
if the custard curdles after you put it back on the burner, you can blend with a hand blender before pouring through a fine mesh sieve.
the finished product should be in the freezer for at least 8 hrs. If you don’t have time, you can leave it in the fridge for 4 hrs and the custard will be more of a semifreddo, which is still delicious.
