Asparagus Ice-cream

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large saucepan for blanching
• •2-quart heavy saucepan
• •Immersion blender and tall blending jug
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Flexible spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Ice-cream maker with at least 1.5-quart capacity
• •Shallow freezer-safe container

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the cold path

   Have the ice-cream maker ready according to its instructions. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a clean bowl, then nest a second bowl containing the cold cream inside a larger bowl of ice water. Bring a large pot of water to a strong boil. Everything after the blanch moves quickly, so arrange it now, while your hands are calm.

   If your machine uses a freezer bowl, it must be frozen solid before you begin. A bowl that sloshes when shaken will leave the custard loose.
2. 2

   Blanch exactly two minutes

   Lower the asparagus tips into the boiling water and start the timer immediately. Parboil for exactly two minutes, then drain thoroughly, shaking away every drop you can. Work at once. Wet asparagus dilutes the custard, while an extra minute of heat turns its clean green flavor dull and its color grey. If you overshoot by a few seconds, drain immediately and spread the tips on a cold tray; the flavor survives, though the green will be quieter.

3. 3

   Pound and infuse

   Take 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 46 g) from the measured milk and blend it with the warm asparagus until you have the smoothest paste possible. Meanwhile, bring the remaining milk just to a boil in a heavy saucepan, then remove it from the heat. Stir in the asparagus paste, cover, and infuse for ten minutes. This preserves the source's sequence exactly: blanch, drain, pound with a few spoonfuls of milk, then infuse in boiled milk.

4. 4

   Pass through the sieve

   Pour the asparagus milk through the prepared fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. Press firmly with a flexible spatula, working in small circles until only dry, stringy fibers remain. Do not skip this pass. Asparagus fibers that seem harmless while warm freeze into threads on the tongue; the sieve is what turns vegetable purée into a proper ice.

5. 5

   Cook the crème anglaise

   Reheat the strained asparagus milk until small bubbles appear around the edge, but do not boil it. Whisk the yolks and sugar in a bowl just until smooth. Pour one-third of the hot milk slowly into the yolks while whisking, then return everything to the saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until the crème anglaise reaches 170 to 175°F (77 to 80°C), coats the back of a spoon, and leaves a clean track when you draw a finger through it. Never let it boil. If tiny curds appear, lift the pan from the heat, set its base briefly in the ice bath, and blend for ten seconds before straining. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Chill the base

   Immediately strain the crème anglaise into the cold cream waiting over the ice bath, even if the custard looks perfectly smooth. Stir until the mixture feels thoroughly cold and falls below 50°F (10°C). Cover directly against the surface and refrigerate until it reaches 40°F (4°C) or colder, about one hour after a proper ice-bath chilling. A warm base freezes slowly, and slow freezing makes coarse crystals.

7. 7

   Churn and ripen

   Churn the cold base according to the machine's instructions, usually twenty to thirty minutes, until it has the body of thick crème fraîche and the dasher leaves deep furrows behind it. Scrape it into a shallow chilled container, cover the surface directly, and freeze for about two hours to ripen. If the machine finishes while the base is still pourable, transfer it to a shallow metal pan, freeze for thirty minutes, then beat it firmly with a whisk and repeat once. The texture will be denser, but it will serve proudly.

8. 8

   Serve at softness

   Let the Glace aux asperges stand at room temperature for five to eight minutes, just until a spoon enters without force. Shape two modest scoops or quenelles into each chilled coupe and serve without a distracting garnish. The color should be a quiet spring green, not pistachio-bright, and the texture should yield before it melts. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source asks for asparagus tops or sprue. Sprue means very young, slender asparagus; if your market has thicker spears, use the tender upper three inches and save the stalks for soup.
• •This dish truly needs fresh spring asparagus. Frozen or tired spears carry too much water and too little fragrance. If the market has failed you, wait for the season and make Glace aux petits pois, its green-pea cousin, rather than lowering the standard.
• •Do not add vanilla, mint, lemon zest, or green coloring. The surprise works because the asparagus is treated seriously, not disguised. Natural asparagus and egg yolk produce a restrained celadon shade.
• •Without an ice-cream maker, pour the cold base into a shallow metal pan and freeze it, beating hard every thirty minutes for about three hours. It will be denser and a little icier, honestly, but the flavor remains intact.
• •Keep the finished ice covered tightly and use it within three days. Let it soften briefly before serving; served rock-hard, both its creaminess and its asparagus fragrance disappear.

Advance Preparation

• •If the machine uses a freezer canister, freeze it the day before unless it already lives in your freezer.
• •The strained custard base can be made up to one day ahead and refrigerated with its surface covered directly. Its green color is brightest when churned the same day.
• •Churn the Glace aux asperges two to four hours before dinner so it has time to firm without becoming deeply frozen. If made earlier, transfer it to the refrigerator for ten minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 185g)