Toasted Hay Ice Cream

Makes between 1 and 1½ quarts ice cream

Yes, this ice cream is flavored with the same hay we feed horses and cows, an outlandish flavor I first experienced while staging at Noma restaurant in Copenhagen.

It might not sound like a good idea, but don’t let this flavor pass you by. The smell of toasted hay is intoxicating, and chefs have been capitalizing on this for centuries, roasting cuts of meat in nests of the dried grass, and wrapping cheeses to age in the fragrant straw.

I know there is no section for hay in your local produce department. Getting your hands on good-quality fresh hay takes some doing. I usually get mine by asking every farmer at the farmers’ market until someone agrees to bring me some the following week. At times I’ve had to dry the hay myself, laying freshly cut grasses out on a sheet pan and tucking them in the oven on its lowest setting until it’s dry and crackly. Once you find yourself with hay in hand, toasting it in the oven unlocks golden, nutty, grassy, green tea notes that are unlike anything else.

Hay
50g | 2 ounces (1 large handful)

Cream (30%)
300g | 1½ cups

Milk (40%)
400g | 2 cups

Glucose syrup (5%)
50g | ¼ cup

Kosher or sea salt
2g | ¼ teaspoon

Sugar (15%)
150g | ¾ cup

Egg yolks (10%)
100g | about 5 large yolks

Texture agent of your choice (see below)

Prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl two-thirds of the way with very icy ice water and place it in the refrigerator.

Toast the hay. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay the hay on a sheet pan in a single layer, and toast it for 15 minutes, until very fragrant. While the hay is toasting, begin the next step; you’ll want to infuse the dairy and hay while both are hot.

Boil the dairy and sugars. Put the cream, milk, glucose, salt, and sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, and place it over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking occasionally to discourage the milk from scorching, until the mixture comes to a full rolling boil, then remove the pot from heat.

Infuse. When the hay comes out of the oven, immediately stir it into the hot dairy, and allow it to infuse for 30 minutes.

Strain and reheat the milk. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the hay. Place the dairy in a clean pot over medium-high heat. Cook until the liquid comes to a full rolling boil , then remove from the heat.

Temper the yolks and cook the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks. Add ½ cup of the hot dairy mixture to the yolks while whisking so the hot milk doesn’t scramble the yolks. Pour the tempered yolks back into the pot of hot milk while whisking. Place the pot over medium-low heat and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot constantly with a rubber spatula to avoid curdling.

Chill. When you notice the custard thickening, or the temperature reaches 180°F on a kitchen thermometer, immediately pour the custard into a shallow metal or glass bowl . Nest the hot bowl into the ice bath, stirring occasionally until it cools down.

Strain. When the custard is cool to the touch (50°F or below) , strain it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any bits of egg yolk. (This step is optional, but will help ensure the smoothest ice cream possible.)

Cure. Transfer the cooled base to the refrigerator to cure for 4 hours, or preferably overnight. (This step is also optional, but the texture will be much improved with it.)

Churn. Place the base into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream is ready when it thickens into the texture of soft-serve ice cream and holds its shape, typically 20 to 30 minutes.

Harden. To freeze your custard ice cream in the American hard-pack style, immediately transfer it to a container with an airtight lid. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream to prevent ice crystals from forming, cover, and store it in your freezer until it hardens completely, between 4 and 12 hours. Or, feel free to enjoy your ice cream immediately; the texture will be similar to soft-serve.

TEXTURE AGENTS

Best texture Commercial stabilizer 3g | 1 teaspoon mixed with the granulated sugar before it is added to the dairy.

Least icy Guar or xanthan gum 1g | ¼ teaspoon whirled in a blender with the custard base after it is chilled in the ice bath.

Easiest to use Tapioca starch 5g | 2 teaspoons mixed with 20g | 2 tablespoons of cold milk, whisked into the custard base after it is finished cooking.

Most accessible Cornstarch 10g | 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, mixed with 20g | 2 tablespoons of cold milk, whisked into the simmering hay-flavored dairy, then cooked for 1 minute.