Baked apricot ice cream

There has just about everything I like - apricots, vanilla, lavender, apricot kernels, and cardamom. This combination just makes me happy in every dish – be it cake, panna cota, ice cream, or anything else.

Ingredients

1 vanilla bean
½ tsp lavender flowers
3 cardamom pods, seeds only
350 ml milk
400 ml double cream
5 egg yolks
130 g Demerara sugar
10 g apricot kernels, crushed

for the apricots:
500 g apricot halves
1 rosemary sprig
¼ tsp lavender flowers
2 tbsp Demerara sugar
1/ lemon zest, finely grated
½ lemon juice
30 ml rum

Prepare

Cut open the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds, and put them in a pot together with the lavender, cardamom, and apricot kernels. Add milk and boil until the liquid just starts to boil, and turn off the heat. When that is done, place the egg yolks in a bowl. Add sugar and mix with a hand whisk. While whipping, add 1/4 of the warmed milk. When incorporated, return to the pot. Leave the vanilla bean in the pot.

Place the pot on medium heat and heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens. It should be thick enough, so that the custard remains on the spoon. You can stir with a wooden spoon, but I prefer a whisk. When the custard is done, pour into a clean bowl, and cover with cling film covering the surface. Place in the fridge or in an ice bath to cool completely.

Heat the oven 190 degrees. Layer the pan with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix all apricot ingredients and pour into the pan. Turn each apricot cut side up and spread them in one layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the juices are syrupy and apricots are caramelised. Remove and let cool completely.

Blend half of the apricots and strain through a sieve. Strain the custard. Mix both of them together and pour into the ice cream machine. Make according to the instruction manual. I like to serve it on the soft side right after the machine stops. If you like it firmer, then put it in the freezer for a while. Serve with baked apricots (the remaining half).

Recipe and pictures: Signe Meirane
Photos taken with Sony alpha 7s