He Cooks, She Cooks

Last Christmas, Michael’s mom bought us some loose-leaf black tea from Mariage Frères. The blend smelled sweetly intoxicating with strong vanilla and caramel notes. Mary got it with ice cream in mind, and her idea was dead on. Problem was I looked to a recipe that called for eight egg yolks, and the result was nearly too rich to bear. The flavor was great (especially with the shot of brandy we added), but I felt sick after eating what was essentially a scoop of frozen cholesterol.

The idea of tea ice cream stuck. This summer I made green tea lychee and Thai iced tea flavors.

Then last week I found a Tealosophy Vanilla Tiger tea in my parents’ cupboard. I made myself a cup with milk and sugar, imagining it as ice cream with every sip.

Using a combination of heavy cream and milk, along with a more reasonable four egg yolks, and this time a shot of whiskey, the resulting ice cream was lusciously, but not sickeningly, creamy.

It doesn’t have the warming properties of a nice cuppa tea, but the flavor is just as comforting.

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As part of a continuing series where I talk about strange-looking things that can be found in my fridge/freezer/pantry, I offer this image — one that surely perplexed my roommates when they saw it on my shelf last week.

Eyeballs? Frog eggs? What is this and why was it in my fridge?

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