A sweet, spiced ice cream with zingy slices of candied orange peel. The cardamom works beautifully with the orange but has the potential to overpower: one and a half teaspoons might sound finickity but I find one doesn't deliver quite enough flavour and two is a little too much.
Ingredients
For the candied blood orange
150g caster sugar
1 blood orange (or medium regular orange), thinly sliced
For the ice cream
450ml whole milk
400ml double cream
1½ tsp cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
6 free range egg yolks
90g caster sugar
pinch salt
Instructions
Start by making the candied blood orange. In a wide saucepan, combine the sugar with 250ml water and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil then add the orange slices in a single layer over the bottom of the pan.
Reduce the heat and simmer, turning the orange slices occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the orange pith is translucent. Transfer the slices to a piece of baking parchment to dry out, reserving the sticky orange syrup.
To make the ice cream, combine the milk, cream, cardamom and vanilla pods and seeds in a medium saucepan. Bring just to the boil, turn of the heat then cover with a lid and leave to infuse for one hour. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and salt.
Strain the milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the cardamom and vanilla pods then return to the saucepan. Heat until simmering then pour the warm milk mixture over the egg yolks, whisking constantly until combined.
Return this mixture to your saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring pretty much continuously, until thickened to a custard consistency: it should coat the back of your spoon. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a container that will fit in your fridge. Allow to cool at room temperature then refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours.
Cut the candied orange into thin slices. Whisk the reserved orange syrup into your chilled custard then churn in an ice cream machine according to your manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a container and fold through the candied orange slices. Smooth the top flat and freeze until ready to eat, taking the ice cream out of the freezer 5 - 10 minutes before serving to allow it to soften.
Notes
This recipe is inspired by a dessert I ate at Skye Gyngell's restaurant Spring.
Recipe by thelittleloaf at http://www.thelittleloaf.com/2015/03/02/blood-orange-ice-cream/