Thyme & Lemon Icecream

With a leftover glut of winter lemons and a huge thyme bush which is about to burst into flower, I thought it best to make use of both and make some Thyme & Lemon icecream.  Odd combo you may think, but I can assure you it is absolutely delicious.  The icecream itself is like silky soft velvet and the flavour has a wonderful savoury herbaceous edge to it - it’s the perfect partner to a tart lemon pie or just simply a bowlful on its own.  Holy moly, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  Also, you may think it’s strange to add a pinch of salt to the icecream but please make sure you do - it has the same effect as a pinch of salt in a cake or in chocolate…..it really helps to bring out the flavours.  

Off you go, get making!

Mel xoxo

Thyme & Lemon Icrecream

makes ~1.1L

Ingredients

750ml pouring cream

250ml full fat milk

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1 lemon, zest stripped (use a peeler, making sure to only get the zest, not the pith)

5 egg yolks

140g caster sugar

generous pinch of salt

Method

In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk, thyme and lemon zest over medium heat until the mixture comes to the boil.  Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to sit and infuse the flavours for at least 30 minutes (longer is better).  Once the mixture has had time to infuse, discard the thyme and lemon, return the mixture to the heat and bring to the boil.  In a bowl mix together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth.  Slowly pour the heated cream mixture over the egg yolks whilst whisking constantly, then pour the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan and add the salt.   Over medium heat, stir the mixture constantly with a spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.  Pour the custard into a bowl through a sieve to remove any remaining bits of thyme, lemon and eggy bits.  Place plastic wrap directly over the top of the custard to avoid a skin forming and place in fridge to cool completely (or alternatively, cool over a bowl of ice if you’re in a hurry).

Once the custard has chilled, churn in an icecream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Pour the icecream into an airtight container and freeze overnight.