Cinnamon Honey ice Cream

Ice cream is my favorite dessert and I have been trying to come up with recipes that are a bit more than just vanilla.  I decided to experiment with honey and came up with this recipe.  The warmth of the cinnamon and honey are a nice contrast to the cold ice cream base.  I used organic milk, cream and eggs in this recipe but you can use conventional.  I also used local honey.  The best ingredients really do make the best ice cream.  The yellow color of this ice cream comes from the rich yolks in the fresh local eggs.  This recipe is for the Cuisinart 1.5 quart  Ice Cream Maker.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic milk, whole or 2 %
2 cups organic heavy cream
2/3 cup local honey
5 cinnamon sticks
1 whole vanilla bean, cut in half and seeds scraped out for use
1 pinch of salt
5 egg yolks

Here's how:

Place your freezer bowl for your ice cream maker into the freezer.

Add all of the ingredients except the egg yolks into a small sauce pan.  Slowly heat the ingredients to almost a boil.

Milk and cream

Vanilla Bean to be cut in half and scraped

Vanilla bean and seeds into the milk

Cinnamon sticks into the milk

Honey into the milk

Everything into the pot

Once bubbles are just forming around the edges, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 30 minutes.  This will allow the cinnamon to steep and flavor the milk and cream.

Letting the flavors steep together

While the cinnamon is steeping, place the egg yolks into a small bowl and whisk together them together, about 2-3 minutes, until the yolks get thick and air is incorporated in.

Look how orange those yolks are!

Whisked egg yolks

After 30 minutes, place the pot back onto the stove and heat the milk up again.

Ladle 1/3 of the milk mixture into the bowl with the yolks, whisking constantly.  This is called tempering.  Once it is all mixted, add this milk and egg mixture back into the pot. 

Tempered egg yolks back into the pot

With the heat on medium-low, stir constantly until the mixture is thick but do not boil.  This should take 10 minutes.  You will know it is done when the back of the spoon you stir with is coated with the mixture and does not just drip off.   

All incorporated and thickened

Strain the mixture in a fine mesh sieve into another bowl.  This will remove any cooked egg you might have in the mixture, vanilla bean pod and cinnamon sticks.

Strainer set up over a bowl.  I like to use a bowl with a pour spout to make it easier to put into the machine later

Strained ice cream base

Cinnamon and vanilla bean pod are out

Cover the mixture with plastic wrap place directly onto the top.  This will prevent a skin from forming. 

Covered

Place it in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.

Remove from the fridge and churn in the ice cream maker for 20 minutes. 

Out of the fridge

Ice Cream Machine set up

Ice cream just into the machine, ready to churn

Remove the ice cream from the machine, scrape it into a bowl, cover and freeze for at least 2 hours for hard ice cream.  You can eat it right away for soft serve.