Top of the Apple

This is my first ice cream of the summer and it was a success! The chamomile flavor is strong enough and the crunchy, salty brittle is the perfect contrast. I got the idea from Marlow & Sons where I had lemon-verbena ice cream with pine nut brittle and olive oil the other night. I have the same idea going on here, light flavored ice cream, not too sweet and a sweet and savory topping. Pine nuts are the only nut I could imagine in this, anything else would be too heavy. If I wasn’t out of pepitas, I would’ve added them to this fine trio.

You’ll notice I added whisky to the ice cream – don’t ignore this! Alcohol lowers the freezing point, so the ice cream doesn’t freeze as solid and stays creamier and smoother. This allows you to keep the ingredients simple – no eggs, cornstarch, cream cheese or whatever makes those commercial ice creams super creamy.

chamomile-honey ice cream + salty seedy pine nut brittle

for the ice cream:

2 cups heavy cream

1-1/2 cups whole milk

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons honey

1/4 ounce chamomile flowers

2 teaspoons whisky

for the brittle:

3/4 cup pine nuts, sunflower and sesame seeds

3 tablespoons sugar

Salt to taste

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, milk, honey and chamomile. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; refrigerate until cool. Strain and add whisky; stir. Transfer to ice cream maker and proceed according to your machine’s instructions. Meanwhile, add nuts and seeds to a skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly until nuts and seeds begin to brown. Add sugar and salt; continue stirring until sugar has melted and seeds and nuts are brown and clustered. Remove from heat; transfer mixture to a plate. Allow to cool; break into pieces. To serve, scoop ice cream into bowl, garnish with brittle and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.