Celery Ice Cream

By cristinasciarra • March 13, 2012 • 2 Comments

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Author Notes: Fair warning: this celery ice cream really tastes like celery. It has an herbaceous quality that is not for everyone, I admit, but it's also creamy and smooth and great for a warm spring day. - cristinasciarra

Makes 1.5 quarts

½ cup sugar, divided
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 ½ cups heavy cream
a generous pinch of sea salt
1 head of celery, leaves included
6 large egg yolks

Roughly chop up the celery, including the leaves. For good measure, crush it up a bit with a mortar and pestle.
In a medium pot, bring the milk, cream, ¼ cup sugar, salt and celery to a boil, whisking occasionally. Remove it from the heat when it reaches a boil.
Let it sit for at least 15 minutes, to give the celery a chance to perfume the milk/cream. You can also cover pot and let it sit it in the fridge for a few hours.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks with the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Beat energetically for a minute or two, then slowly pour the milk/cream mixture over the yolks, whisking constantly until incorporated. Strain the mixture through a sieve. (To remove any clumps and the celery.)
Return the strained mixture to the heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally until it starts to thicken. (You are looking for 170F on a candy thermometer, or until it sticks to the back of a spoon.) Strain again.
Cool the celery ice cream base over an ice bath until it is quite cold.
Add the ice cream base to an ice cream maker and let it go for about 20 minutes. Serve immediately, or freeze for later use.