Szechuan Peppercorn Ice Cream

Yes, you heard me right. Szechuan peppercorn ice cream. Fear my l33t ice cream skillz.

2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 teaspoons Szechuan Peppercorns
9 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar

Combine the cream, half-and-half, and vanilla bean. Grind up 2 teaspoons of the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, and put the result in a loose wire sieve to separate the small, ground dark bits from the light husks; the husks will be caught in the sieve, while the dark bits should fall through. Add the ground dark bits to the cream mixture. Put the remaining peppercorns in a tea ball and place that in the milk mixture as well. Heat the whole mess in a double boiler until it reaches a simmer, and then turn off the heat. Set aside to infuse for 15 minutes. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl, large enough for you to add the cream mixture later without overflowing it.

Remove the tea ball from the cream mixture, and then pour the mixture through a wire sieve into a bowl to remove the vanilla bean and loose peppercorns. Scrape the remaining seeds from the inside of the vanilla bean and add back into the cream mixture. Then, whisking constantly, slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Put the combined mixture in a large saucepan and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture hits 180 degrees. Then remove it from the heat, and whisk until it drops back down to at least 155 degrees (you're releasing steam during this process). Then chill the mixture for 4 hours in your fridge, and then add it to your ice cream maker.

Yum. Double yum. As the Reduced Shakespeare Company once observed: "Damn -- I'm good!"

And a Grand Economy Sized Tip of the Toque to Prof. Jianhai Ruan, for bringing me the essential ingredient. And another tip to Lumiere Bistro and Wine Bar in Lake Placid, New York for giving me the idea in the first place.