Hibiscus-Raspberry Ice Cream

A few months ago my husband purchased a Hibiscus-Raspberry Tisane from Coffees of Hawaii.  This was something new for me because I had never even heard of a tisane before.  A little internet research on Wikipedia revealed that a tisane is "a herbal infusion made from anything other than the leaves of the tea bush".

After trying the tisane I kept thinking that I wanted to somehow turn it into a dessert. The flavor was sweet but not overpowering, and absolutely delicious. I considered a few different options and decided that the combination of hibiscus-raspberry really sounded like a great flavor for ice cream.  After finding a decadent recipe for vanilla-bean ice cream on Epicurious I was ready to go.

Since the tisane has to infuse the ice cream base, you will need to allow time for this, before you can enjoy the ice cream. I started early in the morning and let the mixture sit in the refrigerator all day, before adding it to my ice cream maker.  Next time I might even let it sit all night just to get all of that wonderful flavor fully integrated into the base.

This is one of those ice creams that will leave people guessing.  They probably won't be able to pinpoint the exact flavor.  You get a hint of raspberry and a taste of sweetness, and of course that vanilla cream base.  All of it combines to make a deliciously-flavored ice cream.

The possibilities are endless for flavoring this ice cream.  I was thrilled to see that Coffees of Hawaii also have tisanes in the following flavors - Coffee Cherry, Papaya Leaf Vanilla, Mamaki Ginger, Jasmine Blossom,  and Lavender.   Even if one of these flavors did not grab your attention you could could certainly make up your own blend.

Hibiscus Raspberry Ice Cream©
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream 
• 1 cup whole milk 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 3 vanilla beans, split lengthwise (or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste) 
• 2 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons of Hibiscus Raspberry Tisane (or flavor of your choice)

Preparation

1. Combine cream, milk, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan.
2. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans with tip of a knife into cream mixture, then drop in pods.
3. Heat cream mixture just to a boil.
4. Whisk eggs in a large bowl, then add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking.
5. Pour mixture into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and registers 170°F on thermometer (do not let boil).
6. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean metal bowl.
7. Add tisane and mix thoroughly to combine, and then cool, stirring occasionally. 
8. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 3 hours.
9. Freeze custard in an ice cream maker.
10. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.