Recipe: Earl Grey Ice Cream and Lemon-Scented Whipped Cream

For about five minutes this summer, I dreamed of opening an ice cream parlor. It would be so fun, I thought, to make endless ice cream combinations, and to bring people sugar-sweet bliss. Perhaps it was an over-enthused memory of the Ice Cream Shoppe night my girlfriends and I staged in middle school, complete with creations named “The Zebra,” and “Pretty in Pink.” Oh, yes.

At this point, I was already a few gallons in, and I had a long list of flavors still to make and test. But then reality set in, like the fact that too much dairy no longer agrees with me. And that an ice cream parlor would probably have to be cold. I’m the girl who used to wear my winter coat at the office all day long, even in summer. No, a cold ice cream shop was not in the cards.

Instead, I’m bringing you an ice cream recipe in October. A little after summer, but ice cream season is an all-year affair, if you ask me. I didn’t take pictures of my first batch, so I recreated this batch just for you. And then I ate it, for taste-testing purposes. The things I do for this blog. Seriously.

Anyway, for me this ice cream is the perfect combination of one of my favorite teas, which makes it somehow feel warming, even though it’s cold. And it’s made with some skim milk, to save you calories. So you can then top it with this lemon-scented whipped cream, which is delicious by the spoonful on its own. Or you can dollop some ice cream and whipped cream on top of other sweet things, like waffles and molten chocolate cake.  See? It’s an ice cream party over here. Grab a spoon and join me.

Earl Grey Ice Cream with Lemon-Scented Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

For the ice cream:

• 1 ½ cups skim milk, divided
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream, divided
• 6 Earl Grey tea bags (I used decaf)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt

For the whipped cream:

• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp grated lemon zest
• ¼ tsp vanilla

Directions:

For the ice cream:

1. Put your ice cream maker in the freezer as per manufacturer’s instructions. It helps if you have the foresight to do this the night before. Ice cream is worth planning for.
2. Add 1 cup skim milk to a small saucepot. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in the tea bags. Cover and steep for 15 minutes, then remove tea bags.
3. In a separate pot, add 1 cup heavy cream and the sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add ½ cup skim milk and ½ cup cream, plus vanilla and salt.
5. Add the tea mixture and the sugar mixture to the large bowl as well, and stir to combine.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. You can press the wrap directly onto the surface of the cream. Refrigerate for two or more hours, if you can wait that long.
7. Add to your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to freeze the ice cream. It will be a soft-serve consistency, so if you want firmer ice cream, place into a resealable container in the freezer.

For the whipped cream:

1. Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, then mix with beaters until stiff peaks form.

Note: I start on a low speed and increase once the mixture thickens, to avoid splatter. With all things whipped cream, it helps to have cold ingredients and a cold bowl. I would stick the bowl in the fridge two hours before you’re ready to make the whipped cream.