Wild Fennel Ice Cream

Wild Fennel Ice Cream

Modified from KCRW, Good Food Blog

3 cups organic heavy cream

3 cups organic whole milk

5-6 ounces wild fennel fronds, chopped  (yep, it is quite a lot)

10 organic egg yolks

1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

Place the cream, milk and fennel in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, and scald over medium heat.  Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and allow the mixture to steep for one hour.  Prepare an ice bath by mixing ice and enough water to cover in a container large enough to hold a separate container of ice cream base.  In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt until well combined.  Re-heat the dairy and fennel mixture, and bring to a rolling boil.  Strain out the fennel in a large bowl.  Pour the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture all at once.  Whisk until combined, and immediately pour the custard into a metal container and place in the ice bath.  Stir until the base is cold.  Place into an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions.

This recipe does not slowly temper the yolks or cook until thickened like many recipes.  The sugar keeps the egg yolks from scrambling and the boiling cream raises the temperature of the yolks to cook them sufficiently.