Litchi Five Spice Ice Cream
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Litchi five-spice ice cream: a silky custard ice cream perfumed with Chinese five-spice and blended with sweet, floral lychees. An elegant, exotic frozen dessert that’s a favorite for Chinese New Year.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
5 minCOOK
3 1/12 hrsREADY
2 1/6 hrsThis is an ice cream with a story to tell, pairing the sweet, floral perfume of lychee with the warm, aromatic notes of Chinese five-spice. It’s a beloved Chinese New Year treat, exotic and elegant, yet built on a classic custard base any home cook can master.
The foundation is a cooked custard, which is what gives the ice cream its luxuriously smooth, creamy texture. You whisk the eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and five-spice together, then temper in hot milk slowly while whisking, so the eggs thicken into custard rather than scrambling. Cooking it gently and chilling it thoroughly sets up the silkiest base.
The lychees go in pureed, blended with some of the cream and stirred into the chilled custard, lending their distinctive floral sweetness throughout. The five-spice (a blend of star anise, cinnamon, clove, fennel, and Sichuan pepper) is used with a light hand, just enough to add intrigue and warmth behind the fruit without overpowering it. Churn it in your ice cream maker, and it keeps up to a week in the freezer, making it a make-ahead showpiece. Serve small scoops; its perfume is rich and a little goes a long way.
Chef Tips
- Temper the hot milk into the eggs slowly while whisking, so they thicken into custard instead of scrambling.
- Chill the custard base thoroughly (a few hours or overnight) before churning. A cold base freezes smoother.
- Go light on the five-spice. It’s potent, and the goal is a warm whisper behind the lychee, not a punch.
- Drain canned lychees well before pureeing so the extra syrup doesn’t make the ice cream icy.
Variations
- Use fresh lychees in season for the brightest flavor.
- Swap lychee for mango, longan, or rambutan.
- Garnish with a whole lychee and a star anise for a festive presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
In a heatproof bowl whisk together sugar, cornstarch, eggs, five-spice powder, and a pinch salt until combined well.
In a heavy saucepan heat milk just to a boil and add in a slow stream to egg mixture, whisking.
Transfer custard to pan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly.
Boil custard gently, whisking, 1 minute.
Remove pan from heat and cool custard, stirring occasionally. Chill custard, covered.
Until cold, about 3 hours.
In a blender pure litchis with ½ cup cream and stir into custard with remaining cup cream.
Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker.
Ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.
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