London Fog Ice Cream

Name: London Fog Ice Cream
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 5 cups.
Ingredients: 2 cups whole milk; 2 cups half-and-half cream; 6 Earl Grey tea bags; 1 vanilla bean; 4 large eggs, lightly beaten; 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk; 1/4 teaspoon salt

I took one of my favorite coffee shop beverages and turned it into this elegant London fog ice cream. For a star dessert, serve it with lemon sandwich cookies or in a simple glass rimmed with sugar, lavender and lemon zest. —Noelle Myers, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
2 cups half-and-half cream
6 Earl Grey tea bags
1 vanilla bean
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat milk and cream to 175°. Remove from the heat; add tea bags. Split vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape seeds from the center into pan; add bean. Cover and steep 1 hour. Discard tea bags.
Reheat cream mixture just to a boil; stir in sweetened condensed milk and salt until dissolved. Whisk a small amount of the hot mixture into egg yolks. Return all to the pan, whisking constantly. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and a thermometer reads at least 160°, stirring constantly. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat immediately.
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl; place bowl in a pan of ice water. Stir gently and occasionally until cool, about 5 minutes. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Fill cylinder of ice cream maker no more than two-thirds full; freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. (Refrigerate any remaining mixture until ready to freeze.)
Transfer ice cream to freezer containers, allowing headspace for expansion. Freeze until firm, 2-4 hours.