Anise is used liberally in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern desserts, but it is an underused spice in the American pastry repertoire. I find it adds an exotic touch, at once familiar yet a tad elusive. It seems especially intriguing to people who aren’t used to it paired with orange or chocolate, or both, as it is in this twist on classic ice cream puffs.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 quart (1 liter) ice cream; 8 to 10 serv ings

　　

Anise-orange ice cream

1 1/2 teaspoons aniseed

　　1 1/2 cups (375 ml) whole milk

　　1/2 cup (125 ml) plus 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream

　　3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

　　Grated zest of 2 oranges, preferably organic

　　Pinch of salt

　　5 large egg yolks

　　Pâte à Choux Puffs (page 232)

　　Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce (page 243) or Rich Chocolate Sauce (page 244), warmed

　　

Step 1

To make the ice cream, crush the aniseed in a mortar and pestle or seal them inside a sturdy plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

　　

Step 2

In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, the 1/2 cup (125 ml) cream, the crushed aniseed, sugar, orange zest, and salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.

　　

Step 3

Pour the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer across the top. Reheat the milk mixture until it’s warm.

　　

Step 4

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm milk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula, until the custard is thick enough to coat the spatula. Pour the custard through the mesh strainer into the cream; discard the bits of aniseed and orange zest.

　　

Step 5

Set the bowl containing the custard over a larger bowl of ice water. Stir the custard until cool, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

　　

Step 6

Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

　　

Step 7

To serve, split each pâte à choux puff in half and place a scoop of ice cream on each bottom. Replace the tops and spoon warm chocolate sauce over the profiteroles.

　　Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz. Copyright © 2010 by David Lebovitz. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.David Lebovitz lived in San Francisco for twenty years before moving to Paris. He baked at several notable restaurants before starting his career as a cookbook author and food writer. He's the author of four highly regarded books on desserts, and has written for many major food magazines, sharing his well-tested recipes written with a soupçon of humor. His popular, award-winning blog, www.davidlebovitz.com, entertains readers from around the world with sweet and savory recipes as he tries to unravel the complexities of living in Paris.