Lavender-Honey Ice Cream
(courtesy of Lara Ritchie, of Nothing To It Culinary Center in Reno. Makes 1 generous quart)
2 cups whole milk
½ cup honey
l teaspoon dried lavender
4 strips lemon zest
6 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium saucepan, combine milk, honey, lavender, and zest. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the honey. Remove from heat and allow mixture to steep for 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and set it aside.
In a stainless steel bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar and salt until they are pale yellow. Gradually mix in milk mixture and return it to the saucepan. Heat mixture over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove custard from heat and stir in cream, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Chill mixture for one hour, then pour it into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.
