Look out. This may be my new favorite ice cream ever.
Seriously. I have always loved earl grey tea, and have even sampled a few different earl grey ice creams over the years, but I was stunned to find that my first attempt making it at home actually yielded my favorite results! SO delicious!
Granted, this recipe is definitely one to enjoy in moderation (no skimping on the half and half and cream here!), but oh my goodness. Every single bit is so worth it. It’s rich, creamy, subtly sweet, and has just the right strength of that classic earl grey flavor. It’s pretty much…heavenly.
I shared it with some friends to hear their opinions, and even those who weren’t huge earl grey fans immediately requested the recipe. Definitely a winner I plan to make again very soon. :)
Earl Grey Ice Cream
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 380 minutes
- Yield: 3-5 servings 1x
Description
You will fall in love with this delicious Earl Grey Ice Cream recipe, that can be easily prepared in the comfort of your own kitchen!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups half and half (or 1 cup heavy cream & 1 cup half and half)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 6 Earl Grey tea bags
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk, half and half, and sugar over medium-heat, stirring occasionally. Once the milk is steaming (but not boiling), remove pan from heat. Place the tea bags into the pan, cover and steep at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove tea bags, then return to medium-heat.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and vanilla until frothy. Once the milk mixture is re-warmed, add 2 Tbsp. of the hot milk mixture to the eggs, and quickly whisk in until combined. Repeat 2-3 more times with more of the milk mixture, then gradually pour in the remainder of the milk mixture into the egg yolks and whisk quickly until combined.
- Return the new milk/egg mixture to the saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring and scrapping the bottom of the pan constantly until the mixture thickens to a custard and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Immediately strain through a fine-mesh strainer, and then refrigerate until completely cooled (at least 6-8 hours). Then freeze with an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Notes
Adapted from Mac & Cheese.
Ali’s Tip:
This recipe would also be fun to try with your other favorite kinds of teas! Jasmine and cinnamon are two that come to mind…
Source: Adapted from Mac & Cheese.
This recipe is is only for a pint of ice cream! Ice cream should be made by the gallon (and eaten with a small spoon). I have a green tea with a bit of orange that should be very good.
Wanted to try out this recipe today and all I have in the fridge is heavy cream and milk. Could I do 2 cups whole milk, and 1 cup heavy cream?
I am very happy to say that there was absolutely no trace of bitterness in this delicious ice cream! So so good!
Just a thought: I’m so paranoid about tea becoming bitter–especially Earl Grey–that I’m afraid 15-20 minutes of steeping in the cream will result in a bitter ice cream. Everyone else’s comments assures me that it’s delicious (and I’m sure it is), but I’m still afraid…
Just a reminder to people who make this that after adding milk mixture to egg yolks and returning to the heat that the milk mixture does not exceed 71.5 degrees Celsius. If it does, the milk starts to solidify and form curdles, which is detrimental to the smoothness and creaminess of the ice cream, as well as shortening the time it takes for the ice cream to melt. It also hinders the thickening process of the ice cream!
Other than that, the flavours that came out were superb and it’s a must make for tea and ice cream lovers
what is a half and half cream?
it’s a term used by americans for cream that has between 12 and 18 per cent fat. australia’s equivalent is extra light thickened cream (12% fat) or the next closest is light thickened cream (18% fat)
I made this the other day and it was unbelievable! So good, this was an instant favorite :)
This recipe is absolutely fantastic! I’d made an Earl Grey Gelato a few years back (I think I’d found the recipe in Cooking Light magazine) but lost the recipe and couldn’t find it online. This recipe is better than that one was! The only trouble is, it’s ruined us on store-bought ice cream. Nothing measures up to this!
Hello,
I am doing an end of summer ice cream round up on my own blog, All Day I Dream About Food, and would love to include this recipe. I would use one of your images, and link back to you, but I wouldn’t be posting the recipe directly. If you would like to be a part of it, please email me at carketch29 (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Thanks,
Carolyn
Ooh… I just love this idea. Sounds like an amazing ice cream flavor!