Honey Ice Cream

It seems our egg situation is very different than the rest of our nation. We have hens and our hens lay eggs. Not as many as in the past, as our hens are aging out faster than they are reproducing. For quite a few years we added hens each year, and would find that despite baking and eating eggs on the daily, we couldn’t get ahead of it. It isn’t like that now, but we do have laying hens and we have access to eggs for our dining pleasure.

In addition to eggs, my larder basics include cream, yogurt, and a selection of honey. While we haven’t harvested honey from our bees in many years, we still have jars aplenty.. I have a private stash from our mountain cabin hive (harvested over a decade ago) and a more visible selection from local purveyors.

Facing these ingredients in the glow of the ice box, I am inspired to dust off the ice cream maker and make this simple recipe.

Honey Ice Cream

5 egg yolks
1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 cups honey
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk egg yolks, salt, and honey together in a bowl.  Heat 1 cup of milk until it simmers.  Temper the egg mixture with the hot milk and return the entire mixture to the pan and cook, while continually stirring, until it thickens to a nappe. it will be the thickness of heavy cream. Strain into a clean bowl…let cool a bit.  While it is still warm, but not hot, stir in the yogurt.  Let cool to room temperature and add the cream and vanilla. Chill and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

**You can stir in toasted nuts just before you pack into freezer containers.