Jennifer It’s been a long time coming, but I finally made Earl Grey ice cream! I’m super excited to share the recipe with you. But first, a little history lesson: Earl Grey is a blend of black China teas that is flavored with the oils of the Bergamot citrus fruit. It was supposedly given as a gift to Prime Minister, Charles Grey (who was an Earl) in the early 1800s. Lady Grey continued to use the tea while hosting guests in London. Eventually, she was asked if the tea could be sold to others and Twinings decided to market it as a brand. Sometimes people see that my blog is called Earl Grey Blog and they say, “You can’t be Earl Grey because its trademarked or a proper noun, etc.” It is always so awkward and it ends in me being paranoid and doing tons of research. In the end, I always come to the same conclusion: It’s a flavor. It’s tasty. It is 200 years old. And I love it. 🙂
Earl Grey Ice Cream (adapted from this recipe) Ingredients: 1 1/2 c whole milk (I used 1% and it turned out fine) 1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream 3/4 c sugar 3 tsp loose leaf Earl Grey tea (or 5-6 teabags) 1 tsp orange zest 2 large eggs 3 large egg yolks (I have this Cuisinart ice cream maker which yields 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream. Feel free to adjust the recipe according to the size of your ice cream maker.)
First, make sure to freeze the freezer bowl overnight. Combine the milk, cream, and tea leaves over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, combine the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a medium bowl until you have a thick, pale yellow mixture. Remove the simmering milk/cream from the stove and strain out the loose leaves (or take out the teabags). Little by little, add the milk/cream mixture to the egg/sugar mix until it is thoroughly blended. Next, pour the mixture back into the pan and add some orange zest. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Place it in a bowl covered in plastic wrap, and keep it in the refrigerator until it has chilled completely. When it’s ready, turn the ice cream machine on (with the freezer bowl inside and everything else in place – refer to your ice cream maker manual for instructions) and add the chilled custard. Keep it on for 25-30 minutes until the ice cream has thickened. It may have more of a soft serve/milkshake consistency. That’s okay! Just keep it in the freezer for a few hours.
I looovvee how my Earl Grey ice cream turned out! It reminded me of a London Fog. Floral and sweet, but not too sweet. The orange zest didn’t make much of a difference, but I wanted to add a citrusy flair anyway. It’s looking like my future holds many more tea-flavored ice cream recipes. Let me know if you decide to make this!
