The combination of icy frozen cream and the delicate flavor of almonds, honey and lavender speaks to the summer season. Honey almond ice cream has a mellow sweetness that reminds me of the close relationship between bees and almond growing. Almonds require bees for pollination. In the Mediterranean where almond trees once thrived, the bees might feed on the fragrant nectar of lavender after the almond trees bloom.
This recipe is simple. There is no egg custard to fuss over. Instead, almond paste helps give this frozen treat the creaminess associated with custard-style ice creams. Don’t be surprised by the lingering texture from the ground almonds in the paste.
If you can’t find lavender honey, use a light, clover-type honey and add a small amount of lavender blossoms to the mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve before chilling the mixture. Or you may omit the lavender entirely.
Serve this frozen treat alone, with a crisp cookie such as an almond macaroon or scooped on top of fresh berries. It would also be delicious under a shower of homemade almond cherry and coconut granola.
Kitchen Notebook
All lavender honey is not created equal. Some brands may add lavender oil to give the honey its distinctive taste. Charlie and I learned this on an escapade in Provence. (Long tale, I missed the highway north traveling from Nice. We ended up skirting the Gorges du Verdun, the Grand Canyon of France. I’m no fan of single lane roads that hug the rim of a chasm. Instead of reaching almond orchards, we landed in Mousiers where we ate well and sampled many local honeys.)
We have a lovely lavender farm right near me in Connecticut. They carry L’Abeille Occitane, one brand of all natural lavender honey I have enjoyed. It would be great in the honey almond ice cream.
Ingredients
10 ounces almond paste
½ cup lavender or plain clover honey
2 cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups whole milk
½ teaspoons dried lavender blossoms, optional
Directions
- Place the almond paste and the honey in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat for about one minute until the almond paste is softened by the honey. Scrape the bowl then beat for another minute or two until the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in the cream, milk and lavender blossoms, if using. Chill the almond cream mixture overnight for the best results.
- Stir the almond cream mixture then freeze it according to directions provided with your ice cream machine.
- The frozen almond ice cream will keep for a week when stored in an airtight container in the freezer.
