The first thing I do when I feel a sore throat coming on is make some hot honey and ginger tea. And the more I thought about those flavors, the more I thought they would make a great ice cream. They do.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 3 cups

　　6 tablespoons (120g) honey

　　2 cups (480g) whole milk

　　1/2 cup (120g) heavy cream

　　2 ounces (60g) fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

　　1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

　　2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (40g) light corn syrup

　　5 tablespoons (25g) nonfat milk powder

　　4 large egg yolks

　　

Step 1

Set up an ice bath in a large bowl.

　　

Step 2

Put the honey in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the pan once the honey begins to boil, until the honey caramelizes to a rich amber.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, put the milk, cream, ginger, and vanilla pod and seeds in another saucepan. Bring to a boil.

　　

Step 4

Pour the milk into the honey—carefully, because it will sputter and boil up—and whisk to dissolve the honey. Remove from the heat, cover, and infuse for 15 minutes.

　　

Step 5

Strain the honey-milk mixture into a clean saucepan (rinse and dry the vanilla pod and save it for another use) and whisk in the corn syrup and milk powder. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

　　

Step 6

Whisk the yolks in a medium bowl. When the honey-milk mixture is simmering, slowly whisk about 1 cup into the yolks for about 1 minute to temper them (keep the pan off the heat while you do this). Then scrape the yolks into the saucepan and cook, stirring pretty much constantly, until the mixture reaches 180°F. Keep an eye on the color of the foam on the surface; when it turns the same color as the mixture, you’re very close to the right temperature. Strain the mixture into a medium bowl, set into the ice bath, and mix thoroughly with an immersion blender. Chill completely, stirring often. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for the flavors to mature.

　　

Step 7

Mix again with the immersion blender, then freeze in an ice cream maker. Pack into a plastic container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__