Chai-ce cream

Many people who know me know of my affinity for Chai and Chai lattes. It even got to the point where I went and got myself an inexpensive milk frother so I could make "authentic" lattes.

The other day, I decided I wanted to make ice cream, and wondered if I could integrate Chai into the ice cream. I found plenty of green tea ice cream recipes, most of which used green tea powder (Matcha). Since that didn't appeal to me, I kept looking and found a Emeril Lagasse recipe for green tea ice cream, in which he steeped loose leaf green tea in the milk that would be used to make the ice cream. I figured the same method could probably be applied to any kind of tea, including Chai.

So, I took Alton Brown's custard-style ice cream and incorporated Masala Chai into the milks, ala Emeril. It turned out rather well. Yeah, it's custard-based, meaning its not exactly low-fat - but you have to live a little every once in awhile. Plus I like making the custard-based ice creams, since it gives me egg whites to make angel food cake. So thanks to Emeril and Alton!

Chai Ice Cream
3 cups half and half
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
8 large egg yolks
9 ounces sugar
2 tablespoons Masala Chai (or more to taste) - or any kind of loose leaf tea you'd like

Place the half and half, heavy cream, and Chai in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a bare simmer, cover with a lid, then remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar, and whisk to combine. Strain the tea leaves from the milk mixture, and place the milk mixture into a clean saucepan. Temper the egg yolk mixture with the milk mixture by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the milk mixture has been added to the yolks. Return everything to the saucepan, then place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 170-175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place the mixture into the refrigerator, and once cool enough, place a lid on it. Store in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours (overnight is best). Prepare according to your ice cream maker's instructions. Once it comes out of the ice cream maker, it is technically soft serve, so you'll need to place it in the freezer to harden (unless you like soft serve, of course.)