Dairy and smoked salt go together like rainbows and lollipops. Only better. The rainbow’s beauty is nice, but one can only speculate at its flavor, and you outgrow lollipops. Homemade ice cream is another matter. Swapping the bright intensity of sugar for the dewy softness of honey lends gusto to the meteorological event happening in your mouth. The interplay of pungent salt amid the cream’s frozen opulence of sweet smoke and vanilla bolsters the soul with prismatic beauty all its own.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4; makes about 1 quart
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a small spoon. Put the seeds and pods in a medium saucepan. Add the half-and-half and honey and stir to dissolve the honey. Heat over medium heat, stirring from time to time, just until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 8 minutes.
Step 2
Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture steep, covered, for 1 hour. Remove the vanilla pods and discard. Mix in the egg yolks and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly thickened and a thermometer reads 170°F, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Step 3
Cover and refrigerate the ice cream batter until thoroughly chilled. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Scoop directly from the ice-cream maker for soft serve, or store in a freezer for at least 1 hour for firmer ice cream.
Step 4
Serve scoops sprinkled with a little smoked salt.
