A lovely almond and honey ice cream made on a crème anglaise (a classic French custard) sweetened with honey and a wonderful unsweetened almond butter from Summerbird – it can be replaced with a similar unsweetened almond butter from a health food store. If you like, add a handful of chopped almonds just before the ice cream is finished in the ice cream maker. This summery ice cream goes perfectly with a strawberry pie or a light chocolate cake.

Photo and recipe by Morten Heiberg, from the book «Heibergs is».

How to make almond and honey ice cream

1. Heat the milk
   Pour the milk, cream and salt into a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil. Lightly whisk the egg yolks and honey together in a bowl.
2. Temper the yolks
   Pour a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly so they get used to the heat. Then pour in the rest.
3. Cook the custard
   Pour everything back into the pan. Let the custard thicken over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until it reaches 85 °C. It must NOT boil! Use a digital thermometer to check the temperature.
4. Strain and blend
   As soon as the custard reaches 85 °C, pour it through a sieve into a bowl. Add the almond butter and blend with a stick blender until completely smooth.
5. Cool quickly
   Place the bowl in an ice-cold water bath and cool the mixture quickly to approx. 4 °C, stirring regularly. Change the water if needed so it stays cold. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate until completely cold.
6. Churn
   Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and start it. The ice cream takes approx. 45 minutes. Keep an eye on it towards the end and take it out as soon as it is ready – it hardens quickly and can be hard to get out. When finished, it has a firm, smooth texture like soft serve.
7. Freeze
   Store the ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer until serving. You can also spoon the soft ice cream straight into serving moulds and freeze them for at least 3–4 hours, preferably longer.
8. Serve
   Take the ice cream out of the freezer 15–20 minutes before serving. Turn it out of the moulds by dipping them briefly in lukewarm water – soft silicone moulds release easily even without water. Garnish with almond tuiles, chopped caramelised almonds, toffee sauce and fresh raspberries. Serve immediately.