Anise is used liberally in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern desserts, but it is an underused spice in the American pastry repertoire. I find it adds an exotic touch, at once familiar yet a tad elusive. It seems especially intriguing to people who aren’t used to it paired with orange or chocolate, or both, as it is in this twist on classic ice cream puffs.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 quart (1 liter) ice cream; 8 to 10 serv ings
Ingredients
Anise-orange ice cream
Preparation
Step 1
To make the ice cream, crush the aniseed in a mortar and pestle or seal them inside a sturdy plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Step 2
In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, the 1/2 cup (125 ml) cream, the crushed aniseed, sugar, orange zest, and salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
Step 3
Pour the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer across the top. Reheat the milk mixture until it’s warm.
Step 4
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm milk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula, until the custard is thick enough to coat the spatula. Pour the custard through the mesh strainer into the cream; discard the bits of aniseed and orange zest.
Step 5
Set the bowl containing the custard over a larger bowl of ice water. Stir the custard until cool, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Step 6
Freeze in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 7
To serve, split each pâte à choux puff in half and place a scoop of ice cream on each bottom. Replace the tops and spoon warm chocolate sauce over the profiteroles.
