Fleur de Lait
My lifelong dream is to own an ice cream shop. But rather than start from scratch, there’s one in Paris that I used to dream of taking over: Raimo. The interior was a perfectly preserved midcentury ice cream parlor, with curved, undulating ceilings, shiny leather-and-chrome swivel chairs, and a truly contemporary touch for a city as old as Paris—a machine dispensing ice water. Très moderne. In spite of an unfortunate recent remodel, Raimo still serves an unusual frozen glace called fleur de lait, which means “flower of milk.” Although they once invited me into the workshop for a tasting, I was too intimidated to ask for the recipe. So I played around in my kitchen and got it just right by using cornstarch instead of eggs, which not only preserves the milky whiteness of the cream and milk but also adds a pleasing richness that’s not overwhelming. If you ever come to Paris, stop in at Raimo. And if you see me behind the counter churning away, you’ll know I’m no longer just a contented customer but a happier glacier.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Warm the milk with the sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk together the cornstarch and cold heavy cream until dissolved, and stir it into the milk.
Step 2
Heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until it begins to boil and bubble up. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, continuing to stir. Remove from the heat and scrape it into a bowl. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, stirring the mixture occasionally as it cools. Once well-chilled, whisk to remove any lumps, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Perfect Pairing
Step 3
Try sandwiching Fleur de Lait between Oatmeal Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies (page 226).
