I never really thought about adding honey to vanilla ice cream until one of my dentists recommended it. Or sort of. He told me Honey Vanilla was his favorite flavor, which inspired me to add some to homemade vanilla ice cream. Well, surprise! I liked it too -- but only with the honey flavor as an accent and not the main sweetener. Since then I've made many renditions of it, with this being the current favorite.
This is a lighter style of ice cream because it combines whole eggs with yolks and has a higher proportion of milk then cream. It's still a rich tasting homemade ice cream, but not as high in butterfat and with a different mouth feel than others that are heavier on the yolks and cream.
Steps for Making Honey Vanilla Ice Cream
The technique is a little different here too. Here's a quick rundown.
- Mix together the dry ingredients along with the eggs, yolks, and a little bit of the milk to loosen things up.
- Bring the remaining milk and sugar to a boil to open up the dairy flavors and dissolve the sugar.
- Gradually whisk this mixture into the egg mixture, then add it all back to the saucepan and stir until mixture reaches 170 degrees.
- Strain into a clean bowl, then add the cream, honey and vanilla.
- Quick cool in a water bath or slow cool if you have more time.
- Once cold, stir in a little vodka or bourbon to help with scoopability, then churn in your ice cream maker.
Some Note on Technique and Differences
In this recipe, you make a custard with the milk and other ingredients then add the cream, vanilla paste and honey to the warm custard. Adding cold cream at the end speeds up the cooling process, plus some people perceive the cream as having a cleaner flavor when it is not boiled. The honey and vanilla paste are also added last. The reason? That's just how I did it! I kept playing with the amounts, and found I liked adding them last.
Subtle Honey vs. Stronger Honey Flavor
So like my old dentist, I too now like Honey Vanilla Ice Cream, but I still like a small amount. If you want a stronger honey flavor, replace 2 tablespoons of the sugar with 2 tablespoons honey for a total of ¾ cup sugar and 5 tablespoons honey.
Recipe
Honey Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch (10 grams)
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use (175 grams)
- 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder 24 grams
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 cups whole milk, divided use
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons honey 60 grams
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon vodka
Instructions
- In a spouted mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, ¼ cup (50g) of the sugar, milk powder, salt, eggs, yolks, and ¼ cup (60g) of the milk until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, combine the remaining 2 ¾ cups (660 grams) of milk and the remaining sugar (125 grams). Set over medium heat and cook, whisking, until very hot and just beginning to bubble.
- Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and the mixture reaches 170°F.
- Remove from heat and strain into a clean bowl. Stir in cream, honey and vanilla.
- Let cool slightly at room temperature, then cover and chill for several hour or until very cold.
- To quick cool, pour mixture into a heavy duty zipper bag and submerge in ice water for about 30 minutes.
- Once the custard mixture is very cold, stir in the vodka. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Scrape into containers and freeze until firm.
Darlene says
Sounds delicious as is, but I bet it would be fantastic in Baklava Ice Cream. Maybe, mixed or topped with cinnamon and sugar crusted-phyllo dough and chopped walnuts. I know I'm going to be dreaming about this ice cream tonight!