Gingerbread Ice Cream

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar, fine sea salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg.
2. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and sugar is dissolved but not boiling, about 5 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.
4. Temper the egg yolks by slowly adding about 1 cup (240 ml) of the hot cream mixture to the yolks, whisking constantly.
5. Pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture.
6. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens slightly and reaches 170°F to 175°F (77°C to 79°C), about 5 to 7 minutes; do not boil.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the pure vanilla extract.
8. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any cooked egg bits and spice sediment.
9. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap pressing it directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming.
10. Refrigerate the custard until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
11. Once chilled, churn the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, about 20 minutes.
12. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up before serving.