Salem Fog Ice Cream

Delicious Ice cream with black tea, bergamot, lavender, and vanilla

Ice Cream Maker

2 c heavy cream
1 c whole milk
3/4 c sugar (*or lavender or vanilla sugar, divided)
1/4 c Earl Grey tea (loose)
2 T culinary lavender buds
2 tsp vanilla paste
1/2 tsp salt (pink is nice)
6 egg yolks

Combine cream and milk in a small pot and warm over gentle heat.
Stir in 1/2 c sugar, tea, lavender buds, vanilla, and salt. Continue heating until mixture steams, but does not scald.
Remove from heat and allow to steep for 5 minutes
Remove from heat and strain out tea and lavender buds, squeezing out excess liquid.
In a separate bowl which together yolks and remaining sugar.
Add some of the hot liquid to the yolks a little at a time to temper. Take care not to scramble the eggs.
Add the yolk mixture back into the cream mixture and blend thoroughly.
Chill the custard in the fridge over an ice bath for several hours or overnight.
Pour the custard into a prepared ice cream maker and churn until frozen, but still soft.
Add ice cream to a chilled freezer safe container and freeze for several hours until it is as hard as you like.
Serve in pretty dishes with a sprinkling of lavender buds, if desired.

On a trip to Salem with two of my daughters this spring, we enjoyed cups of Salem Fog tea over a breakfast of BLT sandwiches. I had the idea to turn this into a special dessert for any time of year. And here it is, based on several other recipes for Earl Grey ice cream.

Dessert