Photo by Lars Ranek

Black Sesame and Maple Syrup Ice Cream

Traditional Japanese cuisine does not include desserts as we in the West generally know them. Maybe it is because the Japanese meal is so perfect that it does need a rich, heavy ending. When I first started visiting Japan in the late nineties the standard dessert offered in sushi bars was a scoop of green tea ice cream or a portion of fresh fruit.

We first started serving green tea ice cream in London in the early noughties and it took a while to catch on, but eventually it did and then followed by chestnut, red bean and then this black sesame ice cream. A recipe I developed to match the other more traditional flavours. I love black sesame seeds for their deep nutty taste and love how they turn the colour in this ice cream rich grey.

To me a dessert followed from an Japanese inspired meal should be small, dense and leaning to the strong, savoury and bitter sweet notes. This particular ice cream falls within this category and best served with a small cup of espresso made from the very best, freshly ground coffee beans.

I find one large scoop tends to suffice as it is so dense with seeds and flavour that any more would be plain gluttonous. To make perfect and safe ice cream ensure to have a thermometer to hand.

Serves 4-6

150 ml organic cream

250 ml full fat organic milk

60 ml organic maple syrup

4 egg yolks (Lion brand or pasteurised)

50 grams caster sugar

100 grams ready toasted black sesame seeds

Combine the cream, milk and maple syrup in a saucepan and heat the mixture to just under boiling point.

In a large a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Slowly pour in 1/4 of the hot milk over the egg yolks, whisking continually and, then return the custard mixture to the saucepan. Heat very slowly and carefully, stirring constantly to ensure the mixture do not curdle.

When it reaches 74C degrees exactly , transfer into a plastic container and leave to cool. Once it reaches room temperature, place the container in the fridge to cool fully for a few hours.

Use a mortar and pestle, or a small food processor, to grind 3/4 the sesame seeds. Add them, plus the remaining sesame seeds to the cold custard and pour into an ice cream machine. Churn the mixture until almost frozen, then transfer to a plastic container and freeze until set, preferably overnight. If you do not have an ice cream machine you can still make a delicious ice cream. Pour the custard mixture straight into the plastic container and place directly into the freezer, giving it a stir every 30 minutes or so until set frozen.

Once the ice cream is set it will last for up to a month in the freezer (like it will last that long…), to serve make an over sized scoop for a small serving bowl. Enjoy.