Lavender Créme Fraîche Ice Cream with Lemon Blueberry Curd
I love this ice cream. I think you will too. Please see the notes (More Stuff to Know) for variations. If you would like to make the curd just to have on scones or something, leave out the cornstarch and whisk in a tablespoon or two of butter at the end. See the ingredients and instructions in italics to make the curd "regular." You will not need all the curd in the ice cream, so enjoy the extra however you like.
This recipe makes about 1 1/2 quarts of finished ice cream and about 5 cups of base.
6oz(generous cup) fresh blueberries, washed and picked over
1Tablespooncornstarch(omit if not using in ice cream)
heavy pinch of salt
1whole egg
2egg yolks
(1 oz (2 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, use only if not using in ice cream)
Instructions
For the Base
In a heavy saucepan, stir together the whole milk and lavender. Heat, stirring, until the milk is steaming.
Set aside to steep for 20-30 minutes, depending on how pronounced you want the lavender flavor to be.
After steeping, strain out the lavender flowers through a fine mesh strainer.
Return the milk to the pan, and stir in the sugar.
Thoroughly whisk the créme fraîche together with the cornstarch until there are no lumps.
Add the créme fraîche mixture to the pan along with the salt.
Cook over medium to medium-high heat, whisking frequently and then constantly until it comes to a boil.
Let boil for 10-15 seconds then strain into a bowl with the softened cream cheese. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese and then whisk until the mixture is smooth.
Chill in an ice bath until the temperature is no higher than 40F, whisking occasionally. If you don't want to churn the same day, press plastic wrap on the surface of the base and refrigerate overnight.
For the Curd (can be made 1-2 days in advance)
Whisk together the lemon juice, sugar, berries, cornstarch (omit if you're not using it in ice cream), salt, egg and egg yolks.
Heat over medium to medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Let boil for 10-15 seconds.
If not using cornstarch, heat the mixture only until it thickens. Check its temperature. You're shooting for right around 170F.
Pour the thickened curd into a blender and puree on high speed until completely smooth.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.
If not using in ice cream, whisk in the butter.
Cover with a lid or with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to use.
Putting It All Together
Churn the base according to your manufacturer's instructions.
While the ice cream is churning, spread about 1/3 cup of the curd in an even layer in the bottom of your container. (Of course, if your container is larger or smaller than mine, you'll have a different amount. Carry on). Place the container in the freezer.
Once the ice cream is at soft serve consistency, spread about 1/3 of it in an even layer over the now-frozen curd.
Repeat the layers of curd and ice cream twice more, ending with ice cream. Try to be careful in spreading the layers evenly so you have nice vibrant stripes of curd when you scoop it.
Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream and freeze until firm, 4-6 hours.
You may need to let this sit on the counter for about 5 minutes before scooping.
See notes for variations.
Notes
If you would like your ice cream to be a bit less rich, use 1 cup of créme fraîche and three cups of whole milk. Increase the cornstarch to 3 Tablespoons and proceed as written.If you would like to substitute sour cream for the créme fraîche, strain out the lavender flowers from the milk after 20-30 minutes, and then chill it completely. Whisk the cornstarch into the now-cold milk. Once the milk-sugar-cornstarch mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat and whisk in the sour cream. Pour this mixture over the cream cheese. You may need to use a blender or immersion blender to get it completely smooth before chilling and churning.