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out and about
Recipe: thai tea ice cream
Howdy from beautiful Crested Butte, Colorado! I am chasing wildflowers, hiking the high country, befriending local fauna, and getting zero sleep. Okay, that’s not true. We’re not befriending the local fauna, we’re just encountering a lot of local fauna, including a black bear early Thursday morning!
talk about local color
marmots are everywhere
While I’m wrapping up this shoot, I thought I’d leave you with something for the weekend. When we had our food-blogging friends over for dinner before the workshop, one of the ice cream flavors I served for dessert was Thai tea ice cream. If you’ve ever had Thai iced tea, then you know it’s a natural translation into ice cream.
thai tea
and the bag it came in for those who wanted to know what it looks like
The inspiration came about because I was making several Thai meals one week as the weather was warming up. I thought Thai iced tea would be a perfect accompaniment to the meals. Actually, I crave Thai iced tea and was delighted to discover that my local Asian grocer carries it in large bags.
mix the thai tea into the warmed milk
steeping the tea will turn the milk a bright orange color
The reason it comes in large bags is because you use a lot of it to make a single serving of Thai tea. This ice cream recipe calls for a half cup of the loose tea.
strain the tea leaves out
mix in the heavy cream
If you’ve never had Thai iced tea before, it’s a sweet tea mixed with cream or sweetened condensed milk and served on ice. That’s why it is so perfect to make into an ice cream, because it’s practically ice cream anyway!
temper the yolks
heat until the custard thickens
I followed a general recipe for the Thai tea ice cream ingredients, but I used the basic custard method from David Lebovitz’ book The Perfect Scoop to make it. I like to go with the tried and true.
strain the custard into the remaining cream
churn the custard in your ice cream machine
Oh boy. This ice cream is so fantastic (if you are a fan of Thai iced tea, which I totally am) that I’m *glad* all of my friends came over and consumed most of it – or else I would have eaten it all. If you can find yourself some Thai tea, this might be a great way to keep cool. Have a great weekend!
perhaps she would have eaten it all if given the chance
Thai Tea Ice Cream
[print recipe]
modified from pancake.org
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup Thai tea (the tea leaves)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 egg yolks
Heat the milk in a pan over medium flame. As the milk just begins to simmer, remove from heat. Stir in the Thai tea and let steep covered for 30 minutes. Strain the milk through a sieve. Discard the tea leaves. Heat the milk, sugar, and 1/2 cup of heavy cream over medium heat until just steaming. Pour remaining 1 cup of cream into a large bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Temper the yolks by pouring a little of the warmed mixture into the bowl while whisking. Continue adding warmed mixture until completely incorporated. Pour the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan. Stir the custard with a spatula over medium heat until nappe consistency (coats back of spoon). Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to prevent curdling. Remove from heat and pour the custard into the bowl with the cream. Stir and let cool completely (either on ice bath or in refrigerator). Churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Makes about a quart.
July 9th, 2010: 5:26 am
filed under asian, dairy, dessert, frozen, recipes, sweet
50 nibbles at “out and about”
- Phoo-D says:
July 9th, 2010 at 5:44 amThe best ice cream we’ve made at home has come from a tea base. It imparts such a lovely nuanced flavor to the custard. I’m a huge fan of Thai iced tea and this sounds like the perfect reincarnation for summer!
- Marisa says:
July 9th, 2010 at 5:55 amLove the colour of the ice-cream. And poor Kaweah, she’s trying very hard to think of something else in that last photo!
- Kristin says:
July 9th, 2010 at 6:10 amIt’s practically ice cream anyway…no wonder my kids love it! I’ll probably have to make this for them even though Thai tea is usually too smoky for my taste. Looking forward to seeing more photos after seeing the first few posted here.
- Wei-Wei says:
July 9th, 2010 at 6:11 amThe colour is amazing; I never would have thought tea would turn that colour. Could you stir in a few flecks of crushed tea leaves for colour/texture? I’m thinking of black tea cookies and what they look like :D
Wei-Wei
- Nisrine@Dinners and Dreams says:
July 9th, 2010 at 6:33 amThe ice cream looks delicious and flavor is interesting.
- TheKitchenWitch says:
July 9th, 2010 at 6:36 amThis looks fantastic, Jen. I just love the look of longing on Kaweah’s face!
- Paula says:
July 9th, 2010 at 7:31 amit`s really impressive!
have a nice day,
Paula - Esther says:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:19 amI wasn’t really paying attention to the words but was scrolling through the pictures, for a second I thought you had transformed marmots into tea. :D
If I had an ice cream machine, this would be the first recipe I make!
- Lindsay says:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:28 amThai Tea Ice Cream was one of the first ice creams I ever made (and posted about) and it is still one of my favorites to this day. It was nice to hear about how you put it together and your version looks delicious! Thanks for sharing.
- Eesh says:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:31 amJen! I’m back from fieldwork in India and what a great recipe to return to! I love Thai ice tea, and its really hot and humid. Can’t wait to make this. Thank you!
- My Kitchen in the Rockies says:
July 9th, 2010 at 8:59 amOh, how yummy. I will definitely make this one. Thanks for sharing and have fun in Crested Butte. It’s so beautiful there.
- Bing Chou says:
July 9th, 2010 at 9:14 amLooks delicious…looks like I’ll have to borrow my friends’ ice cream machine this weekend. The marmot looks an aweful lot like the star of Caddyshack…it just needs a little music to dance to. Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
- JelliDonut says:
July 9th, 2010 at 9:25 amAny chance you can name the brand? This sounds like some seriously good ice cream. We love the chai at Royal India in Denver–best inexpensive buffet in town, IMHO.
- Janet says:
July 9th, 2010 at 9:36 amCrested Butte is one of my most favorite places in the world!!! I am jealous that you are there in peak wildflower season. It is a bit of paradise up there, for sure.
I am a tea lover, and usually take my morning cup with milk and sugar, just a short hop and jump away from Thai tea. I’ll have to try this ice cream, sounds sublime. - Eileen says:
July 9th, 2010 at 10:53 amHoly glorious milk-cow this is brilliant!! Hope to find some thai tea…
- Sarah Hope says:
July 9th, 2010 at 11:52 amHey Jen I’m a not-so-secret follower, and I’ve got a quick question!
I’ve never had thai tea (living in Texas means I have to drag my friends to branch out into the asian side of things), could you describe what makes it unique? Is it some particular spices, or just the way they cure the tea leaves?
Thanks!
- Rachel says:
July 9th, 2010 at 12:23 pmahhh! that dog is completely gorgeous!
- Sarah says:
July 9th, 2010 at 1:22 pmThis looks good. I tried a Thai tea ice cream recently, but skipped the custard base and used a little sweetened condensed milk. Too much sweetened condensed milk – I’ll have to give this recipe a try next time.
- Rosa says:
July 9th, 2010 at 2:57 pmA gorgeous ice cream! I’ve never had Thai tea.
Cheers,
Rosa
- Kathryn says:
July 9th, 2010 at 3:23 pmThat looks amazing! You should submit the recipe to Recipe4Living! Each day this month, we’re giving away a t-shirt to our favorite new recipe!
- Susan says:
July 9th, 2010 at 4:13 pmThat looks fantastic! I will try it as soon as I get home…we’re at Ocraco*ke Island now and eating all the seafood we can find!! Since I traded my coffee habit for tea….I wondered what would take the place of my beloved coffee ice cream….now I have an answer. Love your site & the pictures are remarkable!!
- Ruth says:
July 9th, 2010 at 7:38 pmWell, much as I love ice cream I gotta tell you, for me the winner in this post is the photo of Kaweah’s face! She is the female Lab of Labs (I have the male version)! Such a pretty, hungry girl! I’d love to know how you came to name her Kaweah — does it mean anything in particular?
Love, love, love this blog!
- Ruth Ann says:
July 9th, 2010 at 11:10 pmI like how you really showed how to make the ice cream step-by-step. It looks yummy!
I always enjoy Kaweah too; she is such a beauty. - Jill says:
July 10th, 2010 at 9:20 amHow exciting! Really???? A bear! I’ve always wanted to see a bear in the woods, at a distance, safely….without he or she perceiving threat. Happy for you……hope you got a pic you are saving.
Wildflowers are gorgeous and the ice cream looks yummy. Did Kaweah get even a lick?
- Randi says:
July 10th, 2010 at 2:32 pmOMG! I’m so exicited you posted this. I LOVE LOVE LOVE thai ice tea and never before thought about making ice cream out of it! and you’re right – its so obviously the next step for thai tea! OK!!!! I’LL STOP USING CAPS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS NOW! :)
- Rikki says:
July 10th, 2010 at 2:33 pmThis is my new favorite thing in the world. I’ve been following you for years and never commented but I just had to say I absolutely love you.
- Lori says:
July 10th, 2010 at 2:50 pmI have never ahd Thai tea. I have to try it now.
- LimeCake says:
July 10th, 2010 at 6:17 pmHi Jen, can you tell me what brand of Thai tea you use? I’ve tried a few but they never taste quite right.
- Hollywog says:
July 10th, 2010 at 8:07 pmJust made this using your recipe and it turned out wonderfully. I really appreciate a well-written recipe and this certainly was. Thanks very much!
- Cate says:
July 11th, 2010 at 8:31 amI am so excited to try this! I think I want to attempt Thai Iced Coffee ice cream too
- Whitney says:
July 11th, 2010 at 9:05 amCan you share your brand of thai tea? I’ve only had it at thai places but haven’t ever seen it at the stores.
This looks so very delicious.
- Sharlene says:
July 11th, 2010 at 6:23 pmI love thai tea! Thai tea in ice cream form? Sounds amazing.
- Ingrid says:
July 12th, 2010 at 11:29 pmMy friend loves thai tea! This will make her smile for sure!!
- Joy says:
July 13th, 2010 at 7:51 amThat looks wonderful. I love thai tea.
- Dina says:
July 13th, 2010 at 10:59 amoh this is a great idea!
- peabody says:
July 13th, 2010 at 6:06 pmYour dog is so well behaved, mine would have jumped on my hand way before a photo could have been taken. :)
- Uncle Salsa says:
July 15th, 2010 at 3:42 pmmmmm thaice cream
- anna says:
July 15th, 2010 at 11:27 pmYum! I just made Thai tea cupcakes today, I’m absolutely in love with the stuff! So pretty and tasty. I’ll have to do ice cream next.
- jenyu says:
July 19th, 2010 at 12:04 amWei-Wei – I’m sure you could, although I for one really like the smooth creamy consistency of the ice cream.
Bing – marmots and groundhogs are related :)
JelliDonut – I’ve posted the brand of the bag now so you can reference it next time you’re looking for the tea.
Sarah Hope – I think the Thai tea has anise, and as someone above commented, a little smoky flavor to it. It’s really fragrant with loads of spices. That’s the best I can do. You should totally try it sometime (very common in most Thai restaurants)
Sarah – yeah, it’s pretty sweet (I might reduce sugar next time)
Ruth – we named her after the Kaweah Ridge Range in the Sierra Nevada of California. We should have named her Bonkers instead…
Jill – ha ha! No, Kaweah got a doggy treat, but we try to limit her consumption of people food :)
Rikki – thanks, you’re very sweet :)
LimeCake – I’ve posted a photo of the bag of tea above now.
Whitney – yup, it’s up there now!
- Mrs Ergül says:
July 21st, 2010 at 1:34 amOf all the gorgeous yummy ice cream you had made, this is what is pushing me to get an ice cream machine!! I love Thai Iced Tea and I just got back from Bangkok, Thailand! I had the most amazing, full bodied flavoured Thai Iced Tea in the weekend market made by a young chap. Oh I want to be transported back to Bangkok and the weekend market!
- Thai Iced Tea Ice Cream « My Studio/Kitchen says:
August 8th, 2010 at 8:52 am[…] With cool beverages of S.E. Asia fresh in my mind, a Thai Iced Tea variation seemed like a good place to continue where last summer’s ice cream experiments left off. Traditionally brewed in a cloth tea “sock,”sweetened heavily, and served over lots of iced with a hefty shot of sweetened condensed milk, this almost unnaturally orange beverage can be found at street carts all over Bangkok and most likely, at your local Thai restaurant. Already rich, sweet, and creamy and made with sugar and milk, this beverage translated perfectly into ice cream. By infusing the milk with Thai tea before making/freezing the custard, and substituting part of the cream for sweetened condensed milk, I got an ice cream that is literally Thai Iced Tea reincarnated. Thai Tea Ice Cream adapted from from UseRealButter.com […]
- jc says:
February 25th, 2011 at 7:58 pmI’m new and am partial to looking at all of the dog pictures in the recipes first … so sweet! Then I’ll go back and read the recipes.
- Sarah says:
March 10th, 2011 at 3:12 pmWOW! i can’t believe you did this! you’re the only one! i’ve been scouring the net (mostly Tastespotting.com honestly) for Thai Tea recipes!! i’m absolutely obsessed with the stuff! i can’t wait to make this!! i need to find some more tea though i heard that Teavana stopped carrying it :(
- Sean says:
July 4th, 2011 at 11:46 amFor anyone who’s never had Thai Iced Tea, the ONLY summertime nonalcoholic drink that can compete with it in terms of pure, delicious refreshment is old-fashioned, fresh-squeezed Lemonade. Yes, it’s really that good.
- Spongebob says:
July 25th, 2011 at 11:23 amI am currently drinking some Thai tea I brought back from Thailand. But, instead of using sweetened condensed cream I am using Edys vanilla ice cream, and oh boy is it good. I definitely want to try your ice cream, and I am sure your dog does too!
- Eileen says:
January 9th, 2012 at 10:14 pmOh, I LOVE Thai iced tea – how good is that to make it into ice cream. Genius.
- Thai Iced Tea Ice Cream | Feeding Darragh says:
May 17th, 2013 at 9:33 am[…] for me, Use Real Butter doesn’t have my lack of initiative where tea-flavored ice creams are concerned, and kindly […]
- Whitney says:
September 15th, 2013 at 8:55 pmMy roommate and I made this recipe today, and it was amazing!!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, and the pictures. We were able to find the exact same Thai tea, and followed your measurements and instructions exactly. The flavor is right on and not too sweet, as the Thai tea drinks can be sometimes. It was the best batch of ice cream we’ve made so far and the color is spectacular and unique. In sum, it’s great! Thanks!
- Monica says:
November 12th, 2013 at 12:12 amThank you for sharing this ice cream recipe!!!! I I followed your instructions almost exactly (I added 2 extra eggs) and it was AMAZING and out-of-this-world. Your website is lovely and very helpful with the follow along pictures. I will be sure to try some of your other recipes :)
- Thai tea ice cream | Adventure Awaits! says:
July 26th, 2014 at 10:17 am[…] recipe is from Use Real Butter, another food blog from another Asian American home cook like […]
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