Why lapsang souchong and mint ice cream might be the coolest thing you eat this summer

Tea-scented ices are blissfully refreshing, and a smoky one offers an unusual, elegant twist on usual ice cream recipes.

Cooling, creamy and intensely fragrant, this green mint ice cream has a smoky swirl of lapsang souchong – the Chinese black tea – which brings an edge to the summer-fresh brightness of one of our favorite garden herbs.

The result? A grown-up ice cream that’s both refreshing and refined, and perfect for pairing following your favorite barbecue recipes.

Ingredients

• Serves 6-8
• 25.4 fl oz whole milk
• 1 oz lapsang souchong tea leaves
• 2 tbsp liquid glucose
• 2.1 oz fresh mint leaves (about 1.6 oz de-stalked)
• 3.5 oz vanilla sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp flour
• 7.4 fl oz single cream
• 14 oz can condensed milk

The Homes & Gardens method

1. Bring 16 oz of the milk to boiling point in a medium pan, add the tea leaves and stir vigorously. Turn off the heat, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
2. Strain through a sieve over a measuring jug, pressing the leaves to extract their flavor. Repeat for a second straining, then discard the leaves.
3. Stir in the glucose and cool over ice. Pour 10 oz of the tea liquid into a food processor, add the mint and blitz until well chopped. Return this liquid to the jug.
4. To make the custard base, whisk together the vanilla sugar, eggs and flour in a large heatproof jug.
5. Bring the remaining milk and all the cream to the boil in a medium pan, then pour this onto the egg mixture and whisk for 30 seconds.
6. Return the custard mix to the pan and cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly for one to two minutes or until it thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the condensed milk.
7. Cool the pan in iced water. Whisk in the tea liquid and chill. Pour into a chilled ice cream maker and churn until firm (20-25 minutes); or fast-freeze in a 1-litre freezer container (this lidded container from Amazon is our tried-and-trusted buy) for three hours.
8. Remove and whisk briefly, then freeze for a further two hours.
9. Soften for 10 minutes before serving.

This lapsang souchong and green mint ice cream looks pretty served up in tiny coupes with mint sprigs or 70%+ dark chocolate shavings on top. An almond or pistachio biscotti, roasted stone fruits, or fresh, summer fruits all make wonderful pairings, too.