PROFITEROLES WITH HONEY LAVENDER ICE CREAM

Profiteroles with Honey Lavender Ice Cream image

Categories Milk/Cream Ice Cream Machine Dairy Egg Dessert Bake Frozen Dessert Summer Winter Honey Gourmet Kidney Friendly Vegetarian Pescatarian Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher

Yield Serves 6 to 8 (makes 40 profiteroles)

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

For ice cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon dried lavender leaves (pesticide-free)
5 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Benedictine liqueur
For profiteroles:
3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
Special equipment:
Special equipment: parchment paper and large pastry bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch tip
Garnish:
confectioners sugar
Accompaniment:
chocolate sauce or warm honey

Steps:

Make ice cream:
Bring cream, half-and-half, and lavender just to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Pour through a fine sieve into a measuring cup. Whisk together yolks, honey, and Benedictine in a bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking. Pour custard into pan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and a thermometer registers 175°F (do not let boil).
Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and cool. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 2 hours.
Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
Make profiteroles:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Bring butter, water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, stirring, until butter is melted. Reduce heat to moderate and add flour all at once, stirring. Cook, beating with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan, forming a ball, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well with wooden spoon after each addition.
Transfer mixture to pastry bag and pipe 20 mounds (about 1 1/4 inches in diameter) about 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Bake profiteroles in upper third of oven 10 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 300°F and continue to bake until outside of puffs are crisp and golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer profiteroles on baking sheet to a rack to cool. Increase oven temperature to 400°F and make another batch in same manner.
Halve each profiterole horizontally with a serrated knife and sandwich a small scoop (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) ice cream between halves (or pipe it with pastry bag). Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and drizzle with chocolate sauce or honey.