Every few days, someone will stop me and tell me they have a Just Five for me. Sometimes the recipe is something I can work with; other times it’s a bit too Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee. Recently, I ran into my friend Nikki, who told me about the honey-rosemary ice cream she had been making at home. If you grew up in St. Louis in the 70s and 80s, you may remember that in the Central West End – at the corner of North Euclid Avenue and Maryland Plaza (where Coffee Cartel currently sits) – there was a Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream store. And it sold one of my all-time top three favorite flavors of ice cream: honey (the other two: Mexican Chocolate, available at Oliver’s in the 70s and 80s, and Velvet Freeze’s Bubblegum – just the ice cream, not the gum inside it).
Although you could find about six flavors of Häagen-Dazs at the grocery back then, honey wasn’t one of them. So I had to make a pilgrimage to the shop in the West End to get a taste of that fabulousness. This ice cream is the grown up version of that treat. I infused the cream with fresh rosemary, giving it a piney bite but also imparting a floral note when married with the honey. I was judicious with the amount of honey I used; I didn’t want this ice cream to be too sweet. The custard base is my “go to” base for ice cream – it’s rich, creamy and amazing.
So, ice cream with five ingredients? Check. But one of my partners in crime insisted that it needed a little crunch. He was right. But rules are rules, and I am constricted to five ingredients. I couldn’t leave one out in order to add crunch. And so I threw caution to the wind and made a five-ingredient brittle I could serve alongside my summer scoop. Either of these dishes alone makes a delightful dessert, but together, they’re magical.
Honey-Rosemary Ice Cream
Makes about 1 quart
Courtesy of Nikki Furrer
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups half and half
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/3 cup honey
8 egg yolks
1 tsp. salt
Special equipment: Ice cream maker (electric or manual)
• Pour the heavy cream and half and half into a heavy saucepan. Add the rosemary sprigs and honey. Heat over medium-low heat until just simmering, stirring frequently to incorporate the honey. Turn the heat down to low.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and salt until combined.
• Remove the rosemary from the cream after it has steeped at least 20 minutes, and carefully pour about ½ cup of the cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
• Repeat with another ½ cup of cream, whisking constantly. (Careful, or you could end up with scrambled eggs. The best way to avoid this is to do it in steps, mixing in a small amount of egg at a time. And when I say “whisking constantly,” I really mean it!)
• Slowly add 1 more cup of the cream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
• Immediately transfer the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
• Place the saucepan over medium-low heat, and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
• Pour the ice cream base into a bowl and allow it to cool for about 20 minutes.
• Once it has cooled a bit, place it in the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Pack into an airtight container, and freeze for about 2 hours before serving.
Pine Nut Brittle
Makes approximately 2 cups
Courtesy of Mackenzie McCulloch
1½ cups pine nuts
2 cups sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped rosemary, divided
1 tsp. finely ground sea salt
2 Tbsp. freshly grated orange zest
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet, stirring constantly until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Imediately pour onto a plate to cool.
• Place the sugar in a heavy saucepan over high heat with about 2 tablespoons of water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar begins to melt.
• Lower the heat to medium-high, and keep stirring until the sugar melts completely.
• Stop stirring and watch for the sugar to turn a medium caramel color, about 10 to 15 minutes. Do not walk away; do not overcook. If you have a candy thermometer, you want it to reach 295 degrees.
• Stir the butter, toasted pine nuts, half of the rosemary and ½ teaspoon of salt into the caramel. Keep over medium heat, and stir constantly for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat and pour the mixture onto the lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining salt and rosemary on top, as well as the orange zest. Let cool completely, at least 1 hour.
• Once cool, break into pieces and serve.
This article appears in June 2012.