Description
Creamy dandelion & honey ice cream blends wild foraged flowers with sweet local nectar. Smooth Italian-style gelato offers pure countryside elegance for adventurous palates seeking botanical dessert experiences.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups (354 ml) heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups (354 ml) whole milk
- 1 cup packed dandelion petals (yellow parts only, green sepals removed)
- ½ cup (170 g) raw honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Petal Preparation: Meticulously harvest pesticide-free dandelion blossoms, delicately separating vibrant yellow petals from green stems.
- Cream Infusion: Gently warm cream and milk with collected dandelion petals, allowing floral essence to permeate liquid for half an hour, creating an aromatic herbal base.
- Strain and Temper: Press petals through a fine-mesh sieve to extract maximum flavor, then whisk egg yolks and honey until smooth and pale, gradually incorporating warm cream to prevent curdling.
- Custard Development: Continuously stir the combined mixture over low heat, developing a luxurious, velvety custard that thickens and transforms into a rich, silky texture.
- Flavor Enhancement: Remove from heat, incorporating vanilla and a subtle salt pinch to elevate the overall flavor profile, then thoroughly chill the custard in the refrigerator to allow ingredients to harmonize.
- Churning Process: Transfer the cold custard to an ice cream maker, transforming the liquid into a creamy, aerated dessert following manufacturer’s recommended churning guidelines.
- Freezing and Presentation: Carefully transfer the churned ice cream into a freezer-safe container, smooth the surface, and freeze for 24 hours to achieve the perfect scoopable consistency, then serve in chilled bowls adorned with delicate fresh dandelion petals.
Notes
- Harvest Wisely: Choose dandelion petals from clean, pesticide-free areas away from roads or urban pollution to ensure pure, safe flavor.
- Infusion Technique: Steep dandelion petals slowly and gently to extract delicate floral notes without introducing bitterness or overwhelming herbal intensity.
- Tempering Mastery: Add warm cream to egg mixture incrementally and whisk constantly to prevent scrambling and create a smooth, silky custard base.
- Freezing Finesse: Allow ice cream to rest in the freezer for at least 24 hours to develop optimal texture and allow flavors to fully integrate and mature.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 30 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 210 mg