Honey Frozen Custard with Honeycomb Candy

Alone, I am happy to eat butter cookies dipped in honey for dessert. This recipe is not quite as fast but is worth the time. It has the texture of perfect soft-serve ice cream, and since it’s not actually a proper custard, no cooking is required.

Honey Frozen Custard With Honeycomb Candy

Serves 8

• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 4 large eggs, separated
• Pinch of kosher salt
• ½ cup dark, flavorful honey, plus more for serving
• Honeycomb Candy (recipe follows), for serving

In a medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, beat the egg yolks, salt, and honey with an electric hand mixer until thickened, light yellow in color, and doubled in volume. In a third medium bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the yolk mixture, and then fold in the whites. Spoon into a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and up to several days.

To serve, spoon it out of the pan directly onto plates and serve with honeycomb shards.

Honeycomb Candy

Makes about 6 cups of shards

• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda, sifted twice

Have ready a candy thermometer and a greased baking sheet.

Pour 2 tablespoons water into a deep medium saucepan. Add the sugar, and then drizzle the honey evenly over the top without stirring. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches 300°F and is amber colored; do not let it go higher than 310°F. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the baking soda, and using a small whisk, quickly combine in just four or five strokes, no more. Immediately pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and let it cool for about 20 minutes.

Break into shards and store in an airtight container for up to several days.

Reprinted from Cooking in the Moment by Andrea Reusing. Copyright © 2011. Photos copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.