I’ve been churning a quart of ice cream almost weekly since I unwrapped my ice cream maker on Christmas Day. I’ve made a lot of vanilla- French-style with eggs and Philadelphia-style without, some with whole milk and another batch with low-fat. Then came the richest most luxurious ice cream I’ve ever met- Salted Caramel. This last week I spiced up the usual vanilla with a little cinnamon. I thought it was the perfect occasion to try a new addition to my spice collection- Vietnamese cinnamon. Vietnamese cinnamon is known for its intensity. According to My Spice Sage it’s powerfully spicy, sweet, and warm. For this reason, I used slightly less than the recipe called for. I didn’t want the cinnamon to overwhelm the other flavors. And it was just right. You can, of course, stick to using any regular ground cinnamon. Just make sure it’s fairly fresh so that your ice cream is aromatic and wonderful.

I realize I occasionally use ingredients that aren’t easy to find at every supermarket. I’ve had trouble locating some of them myself and/or been frustrated at how expensive they are. And then recently I discovered the web site I referenced above- My Spice Sage. (I’m NOT being paid to advertise for them or getting any credit at all- I’m just sharing my sources!) They carry almost any obscure spice you can dream up, and then all the usuals. Shipping is a reasonable flat rate and they always throw in a free sample of your choice, as well as a free gift (with my last order I got 8 FREE Madagascar Vanilla Beans- which is worth quite a bit of money and handy when you’re making so much vanilla ice cream). And I know that there are other similar sites out there.

In case you’re wondering, those are the Browned Butter Walnut Brownies I made for Valentines Day and served with this cinnamon ice cream. The combination was devastating. Dustin, who doesn’t care much for cinnamon, was amazed at how much he loved it. He asked me how a little spice could transform ordinary ice cream into something so good. Magic is my guess.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk (or 2% milk)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs, whisked (or 5 yolks)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used 1 1/2 tsp. Vietnamese cinnamon)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the milk and 1 cup of heavy cream. When the mixture begins to simmer, remove from the heat and add to the whisked eggs in a slow stream, whisking constantly (if you alter the temperature too quickly the eggs will scramble).

2. Pour back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until custard coats the back of a spoon and registers 170 F (do not let boil). Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaning cream, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Chill custard (preferably overnight) until very cold.

3. Pour custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to an airtight container and place in freezer to firm up.

Makes about 1 quart.

(Adapted from Simply Recipes and All Recipes)