Spicy cinnamon sticks give this ice cream a stronger, far more complex flavor than ground cinnamon does. Around the winter holidays, skip the bowl of whipped cream to accompany pumpkin pie or apple crisp and treat your lucky guests to cinnamon ice cream instead. It is also very good alongside any favorite chocolate dessert, such as devil’s food cake or perched atop a homemade Brownie (pages 220 and 221).
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Warm the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks and 1 cup (250 ml) of the cream in a medium saucepan. Once warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
Step 2
Rewarm the cinnamon-infused milk mixture Remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.
Step 3
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Step 4
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
Step 5
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Perfect Pairing
Step 6
Marble this ice cream with Aztec “Hot” Chocolate Ice Cream (page 29) to make Aztec Cinnamon-Chocolate Ice Cream.
