Homemade Ice Cream

This past Christmas, my boyfriend's family gave my family an ice cream maker. It's about time I used it! Here are two recipes that I have found that I want to make this weekend:

Honey & Toasted Nutmeg 
Ice Cream
Ingredients

1 whole nutmeg
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (35%), divided
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup liquid honey
6 egg yolks or 4 whole eggs, see head note
1/8 teaspoon salt

Original Recipe Post

Grate 2 teaspoons of nutmeg into a small skillet. Toast the ground nutmeg over medium heat until aromatic, around 2 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Add the rest of the (whole) nutmeg to the pot with the milk mixture and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Remove from heat and allow steeping for 10 minutes. 

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks (or whole eggs, if using) with the sugar, honey and salt. Pouring in a thin, steady stream, whisk in the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Transfer the mixture back to the pan and cook, stirring, until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Pour custard through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and toasted nutmeg; cover custard lightly and chill. 

Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's direction then transfer to an airtight container and freeze until set.

Makes 1 quart.

Notes: The type of honey used will greatly impact the ice cream's flavor. A wildflower honey will be subtle and almost fresh, with the cream coming through, while a more robust buckwheat will be far more prominent.

Chai Tea Ice Cream

Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream, divided
2 cups whole milk
6 bags black tea (I will most likely use 6 bags of chai tea and skip the next few ingredients)
1-inch piece ginger, sliced into thin coins
3 cinnamon sticks, broken apart
4 star anise
1/4 tablespoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon cloves
1/2 cup sugar
A pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks

Original Recipe Post

The night before, put your ice cream freezer bowl in to the freezer.

Keep 1 cup of heavy cream in the fridge until you're ready to use it. Combine the other 1 cup of heavy cream with the milk, tea bags, ginger, chai spices, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.

Heat the mixture until it starts to bubble around the edges, but do not let it boil. If it looks like it’s going to boil, remove the saucepan from your stove and adjust the heat. Once you see bubbles on the surface, lower your heat and steep for about 30 minutes until the chai is well infused with the tea and spices.

Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1 cup of cold heavy cream into a bowl, and place a fine mesh sieve over it. Remove the chai from heat and strain the mixture into the bowl of heavy cream. Press down on the tea bags with a spoon to really get all the flavor out. Stir.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Temper the yolks by pouring a small amount of chai into the bowl and whisking it quickly so you don’t cook the yolks (and end up with scrambled eggs).

Keep adding a small amount of chai at a time and whisk until everything is smooth and well blended. You have now just made your custard base!

Return the custard to your saucepan and heat it through over low heat. Stir the custard until it thickens just enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the custard to a bowl and bring it to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight. Once the custard is nice and cold, churn it in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions. 

Makes 1 1/2 quarts