Jasmine Tea White Chocolate Ice Cream

I haven't written in a while but that's because many things have been happening!
Last weekend, I was in New Orleans for my friend HLi's bachelor party. I'm honored to be his groomswoman and the 8 of us had a blast celebrating in a city we'd never been in. We ate and drank everything that represented NOLA and it was fattening and rich and awesome. 

Bonus: I also got to see the cemetery where Ashley Judd's character was buried alive in the movie 'Double Jeopardy'!
Check out my Instagram for pics. 

This weekend, we went to the local farmer's market and it was so perfect. It was about sixty degrees and sunny, so completely spring. I started off with the mini cinnamon sugar donuts that you can watch being freshly made. 

We stocked up on a ton of fresh vegetables and fruits. Joe got supplies from Home Depot and put together a mini shelf in the kitchen for my baking sheets. I took Mila for a long walk and let her run around leash-less and content in the park. We played Just Dance on the Wii which is the best form of exercise I've seen in a long time. I'm obsessed!
For dinner, I made some brussels sprouts with shallots and dijon mustard, a pesto green bean and potato salad, baked squash, and coconut shrimp. We noshed and watched Cosmos, the new show on space hosted by my favorite, Neil Degrasse Tyson. It was stupefying and made me feel very small and in awe of the universe.
We ended our meal with a scoop of this jasmine tea ice cream with some feuilletine sprinkled on top. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

I made this ice cream for a party I attended on the night of the Oscars. We were all bringing something that was a pun off of the nominations and I went with jasmine for the movie Blue Jasmine. I thought about adding blueberries but wasn't sure how well they would go together (more like too lazy to go get some) although you should totally try it and see!

This is a simple ice cream steeped in jasmine tea, with some chopped white chocolate bits. I meant to make some pistachio financiers to go with it (I think this particular recipe with or without the berries would have been ideal) but that day there was a snowstorm looming and we weren't entirely sure we were even going to attend the party. 
Ultimately, the storm wasn't as bad as we thought, and we made it, sans financiers. Instead, I brought feuilletine, which is the most delicious thing ever, especially on ice cream. They're crispy, sweet flakes that stay crunchy a long time and can go on any dessert. The ice cream is delicious as is, but the feuilletine puts it over the top.
Here's a recipe from my favorite blogger for it, or you can purchase it here!

My ice cream was walloped by everyone at the party in a matter of minutes! I still had some left at home and Joe and I have been savoring it every few days. Joe thinks his parents will love it and wants me to make it again when they visit. I was worried that the jasmine would be too strong but no one seemed to mind. The sweetness from the white chocolate certainly helps curb any bitterness from the tea. 
Oh, and don't skimp on the brand of white chocolate, it makes a huge difference. Always check the ingredients to make sure it's made with cocoa butter, and stick with Callebaut or Valrhona for this, you'll thank me for it. 
PS. Don't use chips for these because they will be rock hard when you try to eat it. Buy blocks or bars.
I've added this to my list of favorite homemade ice cream flavors and I'll be making it again soon!

Listen while you bake: "I Choose You" by Sara Bareilles

Jasmine Ice Cream w/White Chocolate
Adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home
Makes about 1 quart

2 cups milk
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbs + 1 tsp cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbs corn syrup
1.5 ounces cream cheese
pinch of salt
1/4 cup jasmine tea leaves
4 ounces white chocolate (the best quality)

Stir two tablespoons of the milk with cornstarch in a bowl. 

Put the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium to high heat.
Add in the jasmine tea leaves and turn off the heat. 
Put a lid on it and let it steep for 10 minutes.
Use a sieve to strain out the tea leaves and pour the mixture back into the pan and set on medium heat.Stir the cornstarch slurry to make sure there are no lumps.
Lower the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry, and then turn to medium-high heat again, whisking all the while.
Bring back to a boil and stir with a spatula until slightly thickened (about 1 minute).
Remove from heat.
Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese and salt until smooth (it's ok if it looks a little lumpy).
Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and place in the fridge until chilled thoroughly.
Pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions (mine says to churn for 20 minutes). 
Meanwhile, chop up your white chocolate.
You can choose to melt the chocolate and drizzle into the ice cream maker while it's churning, or chop up into small bits and toss it in. I've done both and they're both delicious.
Once it's all in, churn for about 30 seconds more to mix it up and then pour into a container and freeze for at least 2 hours before eating.
Serve with financiers or top with feuilletine.

Some thoughts:
I read an article this week that I think pretty accurately describes me.

This article about the missing Malaysian airlines flight made me feel very deeply about those out there who had loved ones on the flight.

This will warm your heart.

If you've seen this video on strangers kissing, you'll love this adaptation by Jimmy Fallon--I did!