Summer is the time for ice cream! Hearing the ice cream truck down the street takes me back to when I was a kid, swimming in the pool, rushing out as fast as I could to catch the truck just in time. At the truck window, the debate was always between a Firecracker popsicle, a snow cone or a Chipwich ice cream sandwich. Eight times out of ten the Chipwich won.
Today, if the ice cream truck served good ice cream, I’d probably still be running to it. But since Chipwich’s no longer do the trick, I’ve learned how to make the best ice cream at home. And I’m sometimes known to place a scoop between two cookies…
But this black sesame ice cream is best in a wafer cone (not a sugar cone), eaten on a hot summer night. It’s got that nutty sweetness that almost tastes like peanut butter but is more subtle. I also love the color. If you’ve never tried it before please do, I’d go as far as to say it’s life changing.
Swipe of the finger test.
Black Sesame Ice Cream
2 cups of cream
1 cup of whole milk
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of black sesame seeds
1/2 tsp salt
Add your heavy cream, milk, sugar and salt into a small pot until sugar completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Add sesame seeds and blend with an immersion blender. In a separate bowl, whisk yolks. Whisking constantly, slowly whisk about a third of the hot cream into the yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the cream.
Return pot to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (swipe your finger, the cream mixture should stay on the outside of the swipe). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cool mixture to room temperature and chill overnight (or chill in an ice bath until it’s really cold if you can’t wait).
After the base is chilled overnight it should set into a velvety custard. Turn your ice cream machine to stir and slowly pour in your base.
After the ice cream base has almost tripled in volume (15-20 minutes) turn off machine and remove attachment. If your ice cream machine starts to click while still churning, turn it off, your ice cream is ready. Transfer ice cream to a quart container or loaf pan lined with parchment. Let the ice cream set in freezer for at least 2 hours before scooping. If you can’t wait, I won’t blame you.
