Toasted Sesame Honey Ice Cream

Toasting sesame seeds to a beautiful golden brown brings out a sweet nutty flavor that is downright addictive. Dispersing the toasted seeds into a sea of honey-sweetened cream develops a faint peanut buttery flavor to this ice cream that is pure delight.

2 ½  tablespoons raw sesame seeds, crushed
¼ cup skim milk powder
1 ½ cream
2 cups whole milk
1 whole egg
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup honey
½ cup toasted sesame seeds
½ teaspoon Murray River Flake salt (reduce to ¼ tsp if using sea salt or table salt)

Mix the crushed sesame seeds with the skim milk powder to combine. Stir the cream, milk, crushed sesame seeds and milk powder together in a medium sized sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Once it's about to boil, remove it from the heat, cover and let the sesame seeds infuse into the milk for 10-15 minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg and yolks together and then add the honey and whisk well.

Once the milk has infused, strain it into a bowl or 4 cup measuring cup. Press firmly on the sesame seeds to squeeze out all of the milk. Add additional whole milk or cream to bring the measurement back to 3 ½ cups if necessary. Return the strained milk mixture to the sauce pan and heat to just below a boil.  Temper it into the eggs by adding just a small amount of the hot milk at a time and whisking continuously. Once half of the milk mixture is incorporated into the eggs, the remainder can be added in a steady stream.

Pour the ice cream base back into the sauce pan and continue to whisk or stir constantly over medium-low heat until it thickens. It should be thick when it reaches 180 degrees F, you can also use a visual test if you don't have a thermometer. Dip a wooden spoon into the mixture and wipe a finger across the back of the spoon. If the track from your finger remains and the custard doesn't immediately run together to cover up the track, it's thick enough.

Pour the ice cream through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl and stir in the toasted sesame seeds and salt. Place the bowl in an ice bath to cool it quickly. Stir occasionally as the ice cream cools. Once it's cooled to about 40 degrees F, cover and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

Freeze according to your ice cream machine's instructions .Transfer the ice cream to a storage container and press a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream, and then cover with a lid. Place in the freezer for at 2-4 hours to fully set.