Making ice cream is a fun summer weekend activity, whether you’re churning it in an old-fashioned hand-cranked maker or going modern with an electric one. Here, the brown sugar delivers a slight molasses note to the extra-rich gingery ice cream. If you like, top each serving with berries, chocolate sauce, sugar-crusted walnuts, or even homemade Candied Young Ginger.
YIELD
MAKES ABOUT 1 QT/960 ML
INGREDIENTS:
2½ cups/600 ml heavy whipping cream
1¼ cups/300 ml milk
⅔ cup/130 g firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup/100 g granulated sugar
3 oz/85 g fresh ginger, peeled and minced
¼ tsp kosher or fine sea salt
7 egg yolks, lightly beaten
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the cream, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, ginger, and salt. Place over medium heat and warm the mixture, stirring often to dissolve the sugars, until the liquid begins to foam around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes.
- Have ready an ice bath. Strain the cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl. Return the liquid to the pan, place over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is almost at a simmer. Slowly add ½ cup/120 ml of the hot cream mixture to the beaten egg yolks while whisking constantly. (This will temper the yolks so they don’t curdle when added to the hot liquid.) Then whisk the egg yolk mixture into the cream mixture and continue to cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens, 7 to 10 minutes. The custard is ready when it registers 175°F/80°C on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and pour through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium heatproof bowl, and then nest the bowl in the ice bath to cool, stirring the custard occasionally.
- When the custard is well chilled and thick, transfer it to an ice-cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer container with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the freezer until it is solid and scoopable, about 4 hours, before serving.