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Anise Ice Cream

How do I love my ice cream maker - let me count the ways. There's chocolate, and vanilla of course. And then there's blueberry, burnt cinnamon and anise? Really anise? I was thumbing through recipes looking for something different. I didn't want to make plain old vanilla or chocolate and I stumbled on this recipe from David Lebovitz's book The Perfect Scoop. I changed it up a little because I did like  the whole egg version and thought I would give it a try again.

Anise Ice Cream (Inspired by The Perfect Scoop & Cuisinart Ice Cream Instruction Booklet)

2 t anise seeds
2 c half and half*
1 c heavy cream*
3/4 c sugar
pinch of salt
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 t vanilla.

Toast the anise seeds in the bottom of a sauce pan for about 3 minutes.  Add the half and half. Add sugar and heat until sugar is dissolved. Shut off heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.

Pour the heavy cream into a heat resistant bowl. Place a strainer over the bowl and then the bowl into a larger bowl of ice water. Set aside. Rewarm the half and half until just starting to bubble at the edges. Whisk eggs and yolk in a small bowl. Slowly whisk some of the warmed half and half into the eggs. Pour egg mixture back to the heated half and half and return to heat. Cook, stirring continually, until slightly thickened and coats back of spoon. Strain through strainer. Add vanilla. Stir mixture until cooled. Chill in refrigerator several hours or overnight. Prepare ice cream according to manufacturer's directions.

I have definitely decided that I do like this whole egg version and it's not just because you don't have all those extra pesky egg whites hanging around. I think I like it because you don't get the fat film in your mouth that you get sometimes from egg yolk only ice cream.


*Feel free to reverse these amounts. I just happened to have those measurements. Using 2 c of the heavy cream will just be a richer ice cream and who would be opposed to that??

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