Litchi, lemon grass and ginger ice cream
Ingredients
- 2 stalks lemon grass
- 750ml (3 cups) full-cream milk
- 250ml (1 cup) coconut milk
- a pinch of salt
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 4 large egg yolks
- 250g (1¼ cups) sugar
- 10ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- 2 cups litchis, peeled, pips removed, chopped
Instructions
Using a rolling pin, crush the lemon grass to extract the oil. Place the stalks in a medium saucepan with milk, coconut milk, salt and ginger. Heat over medium heat until warmed through. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes for the flavours to infuse.
Combine the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the eggs are light and aerated, about 5 minutes. Remove the lemon grass and ginger from the milk and pour slowly into the eggs while mixing continuously. When the milk is incorporated, strain through a fine sieve.
Return to a heatproof mixing bowl and add the litchis. Place over a pot of simmering water and cook the mixture slowly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Stir while it cooks and the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
Place the mixing bowl over an ice bath to cool and continue to stir. When the mixture is cool, transfer to a smaller container and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
When chilled, pour the mixture into an ice-cream machine and set according to manufacturer instructions. When almost set, scrape into individual moulds or one large mould and freeze for 4 hours before serving.
