Table Talk
Fennel Ice Cream
My obsession with fennel, going on 6 months now, has taken me down some predictable roads: fennel in tuna salad, fennel sauteed with peppers and mushrooms, fennel grilled with onions and beets. But it's a flavor that is surprisingly adaptable. My many searches for new ways to use this plant in it's fresh form and it's seed or ground form brought me to my most recent discovery: Fennel Ice Cream. It's incredible. So to celebrate National Ice Cream Day on Sunday last, I froze a batch of this tasty treat to share with Kate and friends at City Park:
Fennel Ice Cream
Gourmet | October 2007 (Holly Smith, Café Juanita)
Yield: Makes about 1 quart
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 2 1/2 hr
ingredients
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar, divided
4 large egg yolks
Equipment: an ice cream maker
preparation
Bring cream and fennel seeds just to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan, then cover and let steep about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring.
Whisk together yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl, then add milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Return mixture to medium saucepan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 175°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil). Immediately strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl, then quick-chill by setting bowl in an ice bath and stirring occasionally until cool, about 15 minutes.
Strain fennel cream through fine-mesh sieve into custard, pressing on solids. Continue to chill in ice bath until custard is very cold, then freeze in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, about 1 hour.
Cooks' notes:
·Custard with fennel cream can be chilled, covered, in refrigerator up to 24 hours.
·Ice cream keeps 1 week.
