Pear Rosemary

Rating: ***
Nickname: Rose and Mary make a great pair

This was one of Cheryl's ideas. It's actually a neat combination, though I'd adjust the proportions next time. Turns out you taste the rosemary much less after it's been frozen. The pear flavor could also have been stronger. So here's the recipe we made, with my guesses at appropriate adjustments.

Peel and chop:
2 pears (make this 3)
Mash together with:
1/4 c. sugar (could perhaps be less)
Cover and let sit in refrigerator.

Heat to nearly boiling:
2 c. cream
1 c. milk
1 t. chopped dried rosemary (try doubling this)
Turn off heat and let steep for 10 minutes or so.

Whisk together:
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar

Remove the rosemary from the milk with a strainer, and discard.
Combine everything.
(If you like pear chunks, leave as-is. Or you could try pureeing it in a blender to smooth it out.)
Churn and freeze in the ice cream machine.

Earl Grey White Chocolate

Rating: ****
Nickname: "Gee, darling, is this Darjeeling?" infused Earl Grey, teasingly.

Cathy had a tea party picnic for her birthday a week or so ago, so I thought a new sort of tea ice cream would be appropriate for that. I made it using the same method as Chai version 2, with the change that I used 5 or 6 Earl Grey teabags in place of the chai spices.

The white chocolate idea came from an Eat Me Delicious muffin recipe that Cheryl found a while ago (and has been using as inspiration for a variety of different muffins). I simply added in 3/4 c. of white chocolate chips when the ice cream was almost done.

I like Earl Grey tea well enough, but I like the ice cream version of it far more. Since this and the Chai recipe both work so well, I should think of other tea flavors to try the same way. Any suggestions?