Dandelion Ice Cream

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup water

1/4 cup dried dandelion root or chicory root

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon organic corn syrup

2 ½ cups heavy cream

5 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use my homemade white clover extract)

Directions

Harvest and Clean the Dandelion or Chicory Roots

Dig up dandelion or chicory roots before the plants flower in the Spring or Fall. Remove the crowns and greens for another purpose.

Scrub the roots in warm water until clean.

Scrub the roots in warm water with a scouring pad until very clean. Cut the roots into small pieces and wash again until the water runs clear.

Dehydrate the roots until bone dry. 145F in a dehydrator works, or you can leave them on a tray with a fan on them for a few days.

Alternately, buy roots from a coop.

Alternately, buy dried dandelion or chicory roots online or from a local coop.

Dandelion Coffee

Roast the dandelion roots for an hour in a cast iron pan at 300 F. Cool and grind to a coarse powder.

COmbine the ground roots, water, salt, vanilla and bring to a boil.

Combine the ground roots, water, pinch of salt and vanilla, bring to a boil and reduce until 1/2 cup (4oz) remains. Transfer to a small mixing bowl.

Maple Custard

Add maple syrup and corn syrup to the pot and bring to a boil.

Add the maple syrup and corn syrup if using to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and simmer until the mixture's thickened and you can see the bottom of the pot when it's stirred.

Add the dandelion coffee to the pot and heat.

Add the dandelion coffee to the pot, then continue heating, stirring regularly, until the maple syrup softens and disperses through the mixture. Reserve the sweetened coffee and keep hot.

Whisk the eggs and cream into the mixing bowl and add the root coffee.

Whisk the eggs and cream well in the mixing bowl, then slowly add the hot root coffee-maple mixture, whisking constantly.

Transfer the custard to a pot and cook for an hour until 170F.

Transfer the custard back to the pot and cook on low heat, stirring regularly until thickened, about 1 hour, or between 170-175 F. Allow the custard to cool overnight for the best texture.

Finish The Ice Cream

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and spin.

Pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. It usually takes my machine 45-60 minutes.

Nutrition

• Calories: 456 kcal
• Total Fat: 30 g
• Saturated Fat: 24 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
• Cholesterol: 265 mg
• Sodium: 135 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 21 g
• Total Sugars: 19 g
• Protein: 5 g