Jersey Milk and Earl Grey Tea Infused Ice Cream

In a saucepan, combine the Jersey milk and Jersey double cream. Heat over medium heat until just simmering.

Remove from heat and add the Earl Grey tea bags. Let steep for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to extract the flavour.

Remove the tea bags, squeezing gently to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the tea bags.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened. This is your custard base.

Slowly pour the warm Jersey milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. This process is called tempering.

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. This should take about 5-10 minutes. Be careful not to boil the mixture.

Remove from heat and stir in the melted Jersey butter (if using) and vanilla extract (if using).

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any lumps or cooked egg particles. This ensures a smooth ice cream.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the custard to cool completely.

Once the custard is thoroughly chilled, churn it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Transfer the churned ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up before serving. If not using an ice cream maker, pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze, stirring every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours to break up ice crystals.