We were enchanted by Segovia-Welshs idea of cold ice cream flavored with "warming" spices such as those found in the fragrant Chinese blend called five-spice powder. It turns the honest little caramel pecan cakes into something suave.
•If you cant find dried tangerine peel, prepare your own by completely drying pieces of peel on a rack at dry room temperature, 4 to 5 days.
•Custard can be chilled up to 1 day.
•Ice cream can be made 1 week ahead.
Recipe information
Total Time
6 3/4 hr
Yield
Makes about 1 1/2 quarts
Ingredients
Equipment:
Preparation
Step 1
Tear tangerine peel into pieces. Pulse peppercorns, star anise, cloves, and allspice to a coarse mixture in grinder.
Step 2
Combine cream, milk, tangerine peel, spices, and 1/2 cup sugar in a heavy medium saucepan. With tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream mixture, then drop in pod. Bring mixture just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 20 minutes.
Step 3
Bring spiced milk to a simmer, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding spices and peel. Return to saucepan.
Step 4
Whisk whole egg and yolks with remaining 1/2 cup sugar in bowl until pale, then add hot spiced milk in a slow stream, whisking. Return to saucepan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 170 to 175°F on an instant-read thermometer (do not let boil). Immediately strain custard through fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in rum and kosher salt.
Step 5
Chill custard at least 6 hours, then freeze in ice cream maker.
