Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream

I have made vanilla ice cream before.  It's simple, it's clean, and most importantly, it's delicious.  However, there is another flavor that I enjoy with vanilla, and that is Lavender.

My mother would always keep lavender growing somewhere while growing up.  She would make heating pads containing lavender, so while we used them we could also relax.  I even have some dried lavender she had grown in my Herbs de Provence.  But, I wanted to infuse vanilla ice cream with lavender, and the result came out quite interesting.

Firstly, I used a different recipe, requiring less eggs.  This was done out of necessity, because I didn't have many eggs left in my house, and I didn't want to go shopping.

First, I combined my dairy products 2 cups of whole milk with 2 cups of half and half.  While in the pot, I split 1 vanilla bean and added it to the mix, as well as a washed bundle of fresh lavender.

While these flavors worked, I whisked together 3 eggs with 1 1/2 cups of sugar.

I tempered the egg mixture with the dairy, and then I whisked to combine it all.

Once the mixture became thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, I strained it into an airtight container, letting it cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge overnight.

The next day, I broke out my ice cream machine, and poured in the mix.  After an hour, I got some ice cream.

I made this so we could have root beer floats, but I would also recommend eating with with some fresh cut strawberries and whipped cream.

It tasted like a frozen creme brûlée, which is funny since there are so few eggs in this recipe.  The vanilla and the lavender don't fight for flavor domination.  They work very well together, and it really tastes like summer.

Enjoy!