Recipes

Honey-Chamomile Gelato

Emma Laperruque|

Honey-Chamomile Gelato
4 (2 ratings)
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Gelato is just "ice cream" in Italian, right? Actually, no! There's a key fundamental difference and — be warned — it may turn you into a gelato fiend. Ice cream follows a 2:1 cream-to-milk ratio, whereas gelato follows a 1:2. Which means you can eat twice as much, no guilt attached. (A tour guide in Rome told me that, so it must be true.) This gelato follows the expected ratio with some unexpected flavors. Chamomile tea bags are steeped in simmering milk, then stirred with egg yolks and honey to create a subtly sweet and floral custard. After it churns in an ice cream maker, the gelato is layered with oh-so many drizzles of honey, to create Pooh-approved ribbons in every scoop. Click here to see Cooking with Honey — 8 Great Recipes.
Servings
6
Ingredients
  • 2 cup whole milk
  • 4 chamomile tea bags
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup honey, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Directions
  1. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the milk and tea bags to a simmer over medium heat, stirring every so often so the bottom doesn't burn.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and honey until the mixture is well blended and thick.
  3. Slowly pour a ladleful of the hot milk onto the yolks. (This will temper the eggs so they don’t curdle.) Add the warmed egg-milk mixture to the saucepan and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat. At this point, you can either chill the custard in the refrigerator until cold or, more quickly, cool it over an ice bath.
  4. When the custard is chilled, remove the tea bags and stir in the cream. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions.
  5. Once fully churned, drizzle a few zig-zags of honey in the bottom of the container you're using to freeze the gelato. Add a couple scoops of gelato. Drizzle on more honey. Continue this layering process — and don’t mix the layers! — until the container is full. Repeat with another container, if necessary.
 
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