Thyme and orange blossom ice cream

simply served on meringue makes a refreshing desert

Thyme and orange blossom ice cream recipe

Yield: about 600ml

Ingredients

15 springs of leafy thyme
1 & ½  cup whole milk  (300ml)
4 large organic egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar (90gr)
1 & ½ cups double cream (300ml)

1 tablespoon of orange blossom water

Method

1.heat the milk in a sauce pan over medium-low heat, just before it starts simmering  switch off, add the thyme, cover it and let it steep in the fridge overnight.

2.next day, heat the milk over low heat till it reaches simmering point, switch off and strain it. reserve.

3.in a bowl beat the egg yolks and the sugar till the sugar has dissolved.

4.add the slightly warm reserved thyme-infused milk on to the egg mixture, stirring all the time.

5.transfer to a clean pan and stir over very low heat, without letting it boil, the mixture will thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.

6.strain trough a sieve and add the orange blossom water.

7.stir in the double cream thoroughly.

8.place in the freezer overnight.

Serving suggestion:

Thyme and orange blossom ice cream Sunday-mess dressed with dark chocolate sauce and meringue. I made the meringues using the egg whites left over from the ice cream base above. 

Meringue recipe

Ingredients:

4 large free-range egg whites

200g caster sugar

Method

1.pre-heat the oven to 140°C, fan 120°C, gas 1. Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the egg whites in a large, clean bowl until they form stiff peaks.

2. start whisking on a low speed, increasing to a higher speed once the whites start to double in size.
3. gradually add the sugar, in tablespoonfuls, whisking all the time. When all the sugar has been added, you will have a gorgeously glossy white meringue mixture. Test the mixture if still grainy carry on mixing till smooth. when it goes into the oven, the meringues will leak sugar syrup during baking.
4. spoon the mix into circles marked on nonstick baking paper on a baking sheet, using a table knife to gently make swirls.
5. bake for 30 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool overnight in the turned-off oven.