If you are like me and love Indian food, then you are probably familiar with the use of rose and orange blossom water in Indian cooking. Fred and I love the perfuminess that this ice cream offers to the palate. Go easy on the booze…..
Orange Blossom Ice Cream
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
8 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. orange blossom water
2-3 Tbsp. Grand Marnier (or another kind of orange liqueur–optional)
zest of one orange
Heat the whole milk and orange zest in a medium-large saucepan, careful not boil, but it should be very hot. Let the zest steep for a few minutes while preparing the eggs.
With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until very light yellow in color and ribbons fall from the beaters. The sugar will almost be dissolved.
While constantly whisking, add the hot milk in a slow, steady stream to the eggs and sugar. (This is called tempering the eggs. It’s so they won’t curdle in the hot milk.) Pour everything back into the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very thick and the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and strain with a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Add the cold cream, orange blossom water, and Grand Marnier. Let cool slightly. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Freeze according to manufacturer directions. (Note that the alcohol will prevent the ice cream from freezing as hard as it normally would.)