While the scent of lilac is fragrant and intoxicating, the flavor is soft and lightly floral. This ice cream celebrates lilacs short season, using both flowers and an infused sugar. It’s an ice cream that is nothing short of magic.
Notes:
• This is a seasonal ice cream made with both lilac sugar and the fresh flowers.
• If you love lilacs as much as I do and have lilac honey in the pantry drizzle it on top! It’s a beautiful way to bump up the lilac flavor. You can also replace some of the sugar in the custard or make a raw lilac ice cream (below).
Variation:
•To make a raw ice cream, follow this base recipe using lilac infused honey. I like to gently heat the milk with the lilacs and then transfer the infusion to the fridge overnight.
Lilac Ice Cream
Ingredients
2 cups (500ml) heavy cream
1 cup (250ml) whole milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup (150g) lilac sugar or granulated sugar
2 cups cup loosely packed lilac flowers
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pick your lilacs, and remove each small flower from the green stem. The stems can be bitter, and it’s worth the time to remove them.
- In a medium saucepan combine the milk, heavy cream and lilacs. Bring up to a bare simmer. Remove from the heat and cover, allow to infuse for an hour or in the fridge overnight for a stronger flavor.
- Strain out the flowers and return the cream to the pot, adding more cream if needed to measure two cups. Heat over medium low reaching a low simmer. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and yolks in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
- Add a little of the warm cream into the egg/sugar mixture and mix to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the cream and continue cooking, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
- Strain the mixture into a bowl. Add the vanilla and salt. Allow to come to room temperature and refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer into a container, cover and freeze until firm.
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