Blueberry Ice Cream with Honey, Thyme and Vanilla
·Prepare the ice cream maker bowl
For perfectly creamy ice cream, place the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer at least 24 hours in advance.
Mix the cornstarch slurry
In a small bowl, whisk the milk and cornstarch together until smooth. Set this mixture aside for now.
Make the vanilla base
Pour the remaining milk, whipping cream, sugar and salt into a saucepan, then add the seeds scraped from the vanilla pod (drop in the pod too). Heat gently, whisking constantly.
Thicken the mixture
Once the mixture is hot but not boiling, stir in the cornstarch slurry. Bring to a gentle boil while stirring constantly, and cook for 1 minute until the mixture thickens slightly.
Infuse and chill
Remove the pan from the heat. Let the mixture infuse with the vanilla pod for at least 1 hour. Then strain it, cover with plastic wrap (pressed directly onto the surface) and chill completely in the fridge.
Make the blueberry compote
Put the blueberries into a smaller saucepan and add the honey, cane sugar, thyme, freshly grated lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Cook and reduce the blueberries
Place the pan over low heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and let it bubble gently until the liquid partially evaporates and the compote thickens to a syrupy consistency. This should take about 10-15 minutes.
Cool and finish the blueberry compote
Remove the thick blueberry compote from the heat and let it cool completely. Once cooled, you can blend it briefly for a smoother texture in the finished ice cream.
Churn the vanilla ice cream
Pour the fully chilled vanilla base into your prepared ice cream maker. Churn according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency.
Layer and swirl
Layer the vanilla ice cream first, then the blueberries, then another layer of vanilla ice cream. Run a spoon through in a zigzag motion to create a marbled effect. Seal the container and freeze for a final few hours before serving.