Salted Licorice

Preparation Fill a large bowl or pan with ice and water. Place a large, clean bowl in the ice bath and fit the bowl with a fine-mesh strainer. In a large, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, licorice, and salt and cook, whisking occasionally, until much of the licorice has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Slowly pour about half of the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer the yolk mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture and return it to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula and being sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan so it doesn't scorch, until the liquid begins to steam and you can feel the spatula scrape against the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the custard from the heat and immediately pour it through the strainer into the clean bowl you set up in the ice bath. Let cool, stirring occasionally. When the custard has totally cooled, cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. When you are ready to freeze the custard, transfer it to an ice cream maker and spin according to the manufacturer's instructions. Eat immediately, or transfer to an airtight container, cover, and freeze for up to 1 week. From Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book by Jake Godby, Sean Wahey & Paolo Lucchesi. Text copyright © 2012 by Jake Godby and Sean Wahey; photographs copyright © 2012 by Frankie Frankeny. Published by Chronicle Books, LLC.

Preparation Fill a large bowl or pan with ice and water. Place a large, clean bowl in the ice bath and fit the bowl with a fine-mesh strainer. In a large, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, licorice, and salt and cook, whisking occasionally, until much of the licorice has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Slowly pour about half of the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer the yolk mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture and return it to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula and being sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan so it doesn't scorch, until the liquid begins to steam and you can feel the spatula scrape against the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the custard from the heat and immediately pour it through the strainer into the clean bowl you set up in the ice bath. Let cool, stirring occasionally. When the custard has totally cooled, cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. When you are ready to freeze the custard, transfer it to an ice cream maker and spin according to the manufacturer's instructions. Eat immediately, or transfer to an airtight container, cover, and freeze for up to 1 week. From Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book by Jake Godby, Sean Wahey & Paolo Lucchesi. Text copyright © 2012 by Jake Godby and Sean Wahey; photographs copyright © 2012 by Frankie Frankeny. Published by Chronicle Books, LLC.