blogger spotlight: THE TIFFIN BOX
Chai Ice Cream
This week we want to introduce Michelle Peters – Jones, the gal behind the bog The Tiffin Box. This is a wonderful mix of Indian, British and good old Canadian food lovingly prepared using fresh, locally available and sustainable ingredients.
Here is a great recipe that can be enjoyed in an season.
| Chai Ice Cream |
Serves: makes 1 litre
Rich and creamy, infused with warming spices, this chai ice cream is a refreshing sweet treat after an East Indian style meal. Use strong tea for this recipe, as it adds a robust flavour to the ice cream. To make this treat child friendly, use a strong decaffeinated tea instead of normal tea.
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream (250 ml)
- 1 cup half and half (250 ml)
- 1 cup whole milk (250 ml)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teabags, strong English or Irish breakfast tea (or 2 – 3 tbsp granulated tea, see note on how to use this very Indian tea)
- Chai spice mix (see below)
- 6 large egg yolks
- Chai Spice Mix:
- 6 cloves
- 6 cardamom pods
- 3 inch stick of cinnamon or cassia bark
- 1 star anise
- 5 peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
- Garnish:
- 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
- Toasted almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Place all these spices for the chai spice mix (except the ginger) into a mortar and pestle and crush coarsely.
- Place the heavy cream into a large bowl, and put it into the fridge until it is ready to be used.
- In a heavy pot, combine the half and half, whole milk, sugar, tea bags, the chai spice mix and the fresh ginger. Place on a medium heat, stirring for about 4 – 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the tea is a light golden colour. Fish out the teabags, and discard.
- (Note: If you are using granulated tea, which is stronger and more Indian, you will need to modify step two of the method. Use the following instructions – In a heavy pot, combine the half and half, whole milk, sugar and the granulated tea. Bring to the boil, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Let the tea infuse for about 3 – 4 minutes, or until it is a golden colour. Strain, discarding the tea granules. Add the crushed chai spices and the fresh ginger, and then continue on the step three below)
- Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the milky, spicy mixture, and leave to infuse for about 30 minutes.
- Strain out the spices and gently rewarm the chai mixture.
- Place the egg yolks in a bowl, and whisk until creamy. Slowly add the warmed chai mixture, whisking constantly, then scrape this mixture back into the pot.
- Cook on a medium low heat for 8 – 10 minutes, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Take off the heat immediately, then strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir together and let it chill, until it is completely cold.
- When the mixture is cold, churn in an ice cream machine, following its instructions. Add the chopped crystallized ginger in the last five minutes of churning.
- Serve with toasted almonds, if desired.
Check out another great recipe for Spiced Sweet Potatoes in our Fall issue - Just click!
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!