•Custard can be chilled up to 24 hours.
•Ice cream may be made 2 weeks ahead.
•Profiteroles may be made 1 day ahead and recrisped in a 350°F oven about 5 minutes, or 1 month ahead and frozen in an airtight container (recrisp as above).
Recipe information
Total Time
3 1/2 hr
Yield
Serves 6 to 8 (makes 40 profiteroles)
Ingredients
For ice cream:
For profiteroles:
Special equipment:
Garnish:
Accompaniment:
Preparation
Make ice cream:
Step 1
Bring cream, half-and-half, and lavender just to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Pour through a fine sieve into a measuring cup. Whisk together yolks, honey, and Benedictine in a bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour custard into pan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and a thermometer registers 175°F (do not let boil).
Step 2
Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and cool. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 2 hours.
Step 3
Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
Make profiteroles:
Step 4
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Step 5
Bring butter, water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, stirring, until butter is melted. Reduce heat to moderate and add flour all at once, stirring. Cook, beating with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan, forming a ball, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well with wooden spoon after each addition.
Step 6
Transfer mixture to pastry bag and pipe 20 mounds (about 1 1/4 inches in diameter) about 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Bake profiteroles in upper third of oven 10 minutes.
Step 7
Reduce temperature to 300°F and continue to bake until outside of puffs are crisp and golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer profiteroles on baking sheet to a rack to cool. Increase oven temperature to 400°F and make another batch in same manner.
Step 8
Halve each profiterole horizontally with a serrated knife and sandwich a small scoop (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) ice cream between halves (or pipe it with pastry bag). Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and drizzle with chocolate sauce or honey.
