Olive oil ice cream might sound exotic in the States, but it’s pretty commonplace in Italy. If you think olive oil doesn’t belong in ice cream, we beg you to reconsider. Olive oil lends a subtle savory note to sweet custard, creating a gentle, pleasing contrast on the palate—the sweet and the savory playing against each other simultaneously. For this ice cream, we like to use a peppery olive oil from Sicily, but if you’re looking for olive oil with more floral, fruity notes, consider oils from Liguria, Tuscany, or Spain. Serve this ice cream topped with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and a pinch or two of flaky sea salt.
MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Immersion blender
1¼ cups heavy cream
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 grams) sugar
¼ teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
8 large egg yolks
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving (optional)
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon (optional)
1. Pour the cream and milk into a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk in ½ cup (100 grams) of the sugar and the salt and stir until they have dissolved. Warm the mixture until you see steam rising from the top.
2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, with a kitchen towel underneath it to prevent slipping, whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar until uniform. While whisking, add a splash of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks. Continue to add the dairy mixture, whisking it in bit by bit, until you’ve added about half. Add the yolk mixture to the remaining dairy mixture in the double boiler. Set the heat under the double boiler to medium and cook the custard, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon and reducing the heat to medium-low as necessary, until steam begins to rise from the surface and the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Hold the spoon horizontally and run your finger through the custard. If the trail left by your finger stays separated, the custard is ready to be cooled.
4. Strain the custard into a bowl and add the avocado. Using an immersion blender, buzz the custard until emulsified. Set the bowl over the prepared ice bath and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard has cooled. Transfer the custard to a quart-size container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight.
5. Pour the chilled custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the container in which you refrigerated the custard in the freezer so you can use it to store the finished ice cream. Churn the ice cream until the texture resembles “soft serve.” Transfer the ice cream to the chilled storage container and freeze until hardened to your desired consistency. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately—it will be the consistency of gelato. If you like, serve the ice cream topped with a drizzle of olive oil and a few flakes of sea salt. The ice cream will keep, frozen, for up to 7 days.
ben’s note When making this ice cream, we recommend you go with your finest olive oil, the kind you reserve for dressings and finishing a dish. Boring olive oil will guarantee boring ice cream.