Tea Ice-cream

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1½-quart ice-cream maker
• •2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Flexible heatproof spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Immersion blender for custard rescue
• •1-quart freezer container

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the churn

   Freeze the removable bowl of the ice-cream maker until completely solid, following its instructions, usually for at least 24 hours. Set a 1-quart freezer container in the freezer as well. A properly cold bowl freezes the base while beating in fine air bubbles; a merely chilly one gives you sweet soup.

   Shake the frozen bowl beside your ear. If you hear liquid moving inside its walls, it isn't ready.
2. 2

   Brew hard and short

   Pour the freshly boiled water over the tea and steep for exactly 3 minutes. Strain at once through a fine-mesh sieve without pressing the leaves, since squeezing releases the tannin you have carefully avoided. Measure exactly 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) of strong infusion; the extra brewing water accounts for what the leaves retain, and if you are a little short, top it up with just-boiled water. If the tea has stood beyond 4 minutes and leaves your mouth dry, brew it again. More leaf gives strength. More time gives bitterness.

3. 3

   Boil and combine

   Pour the whole milk into a medium saucepan and bring it just to a full boil over medium heat, stirring across the bottom so it cannot scorch. Pull it from the heat the instant it rises, then stir in the measured strong tea. This preserves the source formula's exact sequence and its ratio of two measures tea to three measures boiled milk.

4. 4

   Temper the yolks

   Whisk the yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl until smooth and slightly lighter, without beating in a great head of foam. Pour in one-third of the hot tea and milk in a thin stream while whisking constantly, then whisk in the remainder. This gradual tempering raises the yolks' temperature without scrambling them.

5. 5

   Cook to the nappe

   Return everything to the rinsed saucepan. Cook the crème anglaise (pouring custard) over low heat, stirring constantly with a flexible spatula and sweeping the corners, until it reaches 180 to 183°F (82 to 84°C). This is cuire à la nappe, cooking until the custard coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clean path. Never let it boil. If fine curds appear, take the pan off the heat immediately, strain the custard into a cold bowl, and blend it briefly until smooth. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Chill the base

   Set the bowl of custard over a larger bowl of ice water and stir until thoroughly cold, then cover directly against the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Fast cooling stops the cooking and protects the tea's clean perfume. The base should be no warmer than 40°F (4°C) before churning.

7. 7

   Churn until dense

   Strain the cold base once more, then churn it according to the machine's instructions until thick, softly mounded, and holding the trail of the paddle, usually 20 to 30 minutes. If it still sloshes after 30 minutes, stop rather than grinding on. Return the base to the refrigerator, freeze the bowl completely, and churn again later.

8. 8

   Harden and serve

   Pack the glace au thé into the frozen container, pressing parchment directly against its surface, and freeze for 3 to 4 hours until scoopable but firm. Because this is a milk custard rather than a cream-heavy ice, it sets with a clean, close texture. Let it stand at room temperature for 8 to 10 minutes before serving in generous scoops. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a plain, robust black tea such as Assam or Ceylon. Earl Grey brings bergamot and makes a different ice entirely; pleasant, certainly, but no longer the source preparation.
• •Weigh the tea if you can. Large whole leaves and fine broken leaves fill a spoon very differently, while 18 grams gives the strength this proportion demands.
• •Don't replace the whole milk with cream. Cream would make a softer ice, but it would also mute the tea and alter the book's strict milk-to-infusion foundation. The yolks supply the necessary body.
• •Taste the base when it is cold, before churning. It should seem a touch sweeter and more forcefully brewed than you want at the table, because freezing quiets both sweetness and aroma.
• •Serve it alone or with a plain madeleine or langue de chat. No decorative thicket is needed; the first melting spoonful releases all the perfume the dish requires.

Advance Preparation

• •Freeze a removable churn bowl for at least 24 hours before making the ice cream. Compressor machines need no advance freezing.
• •The custard base can be prepared and refrigerated up to 24 hours before churning. Keep it covered directly against the surface so it doesn't form a skin.
• •The finished glace au thé keeps well for about 5 days with parchment pressed against its surface. Let it soften for 8 to 10 minutes before scooping.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)