Holy heatwave, Batman.
I spent the past weekend camping just outside of Merritt, BC, where temperatures reached 40°C. It was too hot to do anything other than sit around in the shade or float around in the lake. I did some kayaking at around 9am and even then I was perma-sweating. It was so hot that I got a tan from sitting in the shade. It was absurdly hot, and it was absolutely glorious.
It was a much-needed getaway, and sadly too short of a trip. I was this close (picture me pinching my fingers together) to playing hooky all week and staying in paradise for an extended camping vacation. But alas, I couldn’t. Damn my principles. The only time I can allow myself to call in to work is if I’m too sick to actually move.
It’s a good thing I have a few more camping trips planned this summer! Like this coming weekend, for one. I can’t very well complain about last weekend being over when I’m going to go camping again next weekend. Oh, happy days!
In lieu of the heatwave that’s been hitting BC, today’s post is a cool treat that a cinch to make.
I recently came across a tip on The Kitchn that blew my mind: it’s possible to make ice cream without a fancy ice cream maker. I’ve been waiting for years for that Kitchenaid ice cream maker mixer attachment to go on and sale have yet to add it to my stash of kitchen gadgets, so you can imagine how sad I’ve been being unable to make ice cream.
But good news! It’s possible. And it’s delicious.
I was skeptical at first. How is that even possible? Making ice cream without all that hassle? No fancy machine, no eggs, no churning? Would it even be ice cream?
I was astonished with the results. With just two ingredients – whipping cream and a can of sweetened condensed milk – you can make a cool treat that’s exactly like ice cream. Smooth and creamy, with the same texture and consistency of store-bought.
I altered the recipe slightly and infused the cream with my beloved Earl Grey tea (I love my Earl Grey) for a bold and intensely flavoured ice cream with a slight raw honey taste.
This recipe takes a while to make, but that time is mostly spent prepping and waiting for things to chill/freeze. There’s minimal hands-on time required.
First, heat some whipping cream in a skillet until it’s just boiling, making sure to watch it like a hawk to avoid the cream from bubbling and frothing over. Remove the cream from heat and stir in the tea leaves and let it steep for 30 minutes. Strain the cream and chill until cold. It’s important to chill the cream, since whipping it while warm will not yield the proper results.
I also suggest that you chill your whisk and mixing bowl beforehand. The colder these things are, the better they will whip.
Once everything has chilled, simply whip all ingredients together for 3-5 minutes until soft peaks form. You’ll probably think the mixture is too “liquidy”, but don’t worry, this is how it’s supposed to be. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan or other freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 6 hours until solid. The longer the better.
My only complaint – I say complaint lightly – about this method of ice cream is that it melts a lot faster than store-bought. It’s not a huge issue, but if you’re eating it on a really hot day it’ll get a bit runny. Still delicious though!
Enjoy, my friends!
| No-Churn Earl Grey & Honey Ice Cream | | Print |
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 (heaping) Tbsp loose Earl Grey tea leaves
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp honey
- In a saucepan over medium heat, heat cream until just bubbly. Watch carefully; the cream will rise and froth up quickly if you're not careful. You don't want to boil the cream, just heat it enough for steeping the tea leaves. Remove from heat and stir in tea leaves; cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain through a mesh sieve into a bowl, pushing the liquid out of tea leaves. Cover the bowl and refrigerate cream until fully chilled.
- Place the bowl of a stand mixer and the whisk attachment in the fridge to chill as well.*
- When you're ready to make the ice cream, remove the objects from the fridge. Combine the cream, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and honey in the chilled bowl and whip until soft peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze at least 6 hours before serving.
I’ve been reading about this no churn business… no full no muss deliciousness for sure! I am a huge Earl Grey fan to and with honey, this ice cream tastes so rich, refreshing and just delicious! Your photography is pulling me in too!! Thank you, Ladies!
Thanks Traci! I was so skeptical, even as I was making it, but it really is astonishing! 🙂
considering i have earl grey’d many a pastry, i really cannot believe i have not yet gone for an ice cream. this two-ingredient magic trick pulls me in, as well. you are a gem, chelsea.
🙂 As always, you’re too kind, FoodGeekGraze. If you’re an earl grey fan, you’ll love this. Plus, ice cream that doesn’t require an ice cream maker is perfect for my Lazy Girl Lifestyle.
Hello, I tried out your recipe but I’m not sure why my mixture couldn’t whip up to a soft peak texture. It just stayed quite liquidy but I had chilled my bowl, my cream and my whisk though. Can I know what could be the reason why this happened? Thanks so much
Hi Regine, I’m not quite sure, it may have been because of the consistency of the cream. Was it fresh, or nearing an expiry date? Whatever the case, if this happens again, freeze the mixture anyway as it should firm up to the right texture. Just be sure not to overmix, which can turn your cream to butter.
Hi Chelsea, this looks amazing! Earl Grey as everything is awesome. I’m going to try this sometime and let the team have a try. Definitely a heat beater under Singapore’s super sunny weather. Also, I hope you don’t mind that we’d like to feature this on our Instagram page.
Thank you Ashikin! I love Earl Grey, I have about 10 different varieties of earl grey alone! Please feel free to feature this recipe! PS – your tea and the packaging is BEAUTIFUL. ♥♥ I’m so excited that you ship to Canada.
Would this work with a chai blend tea just as well. I love Earl Grey, but I’m out right now. All I have is a Pumpkin Spice tea that is kind of like a chai.
Great question, and YES! I can imagine the chilled chai flavours would be INCREDIBLE.
This worked! Thank you for the recipe. I had made a no-churn earl grey tea a looong time ago. It was custard based and quite good, so years later, I decided I wanted to give it another go. I’m glad I came across your recipe – it’s different from what I did in the past, but the results are still great!
I used earl grey tea from tea bags. I really wanted to make sure the tea flavor came out, so I definitely added more tea than the recipe called for – about 4 tea bags’ worth. I used cheese cloth to drain the cream. Some pulp still made it through, but it just gave the ice cream a cool visual aesthetic.
Will definitely be making this ice cream again with different teas. The beauty of making your own ice cream!
Thank you for your feedback, Jenny! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. If you’re a tea fan like myself, the flavour possibilities with this no-churn ice cream are endless!