Caramelized Strawberry and Graham Cracker Crumble Ice Cream.

In a medium size bowl whisk the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar until the yolks are pale yellow.

Add the milk, heavy cream, honey and vanilla bean seeds + pods to a medium size sauce pot and set over medium heat. Bring the mixture to boil, watching very closely to make sure the milk does not boil over. Once the mixture is boiling, immediately remove from the heat and carefully pour about 1/3 cup of the hot milk into the eggs, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Next, add the milk/egg mixture into the remaining pot of hot milk, whisking constantly. Place the pot back on the stove and stir custard over low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes.

Place a fine-mesh sieve (strainer) over a large heat proof bowl and immediately strain the custard into the bowl. Discard the vanilla bean pods and let custard cool 10 minutes. Cover and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight, stirring as often as possible. If needed the custard can be quickly cooled in the freezer for 1-2 hours, but make sure to stir the custard every 30 minutes to prevent uneven freezing.

Meanwhile add the strawberries, honey, water and vanilla bean seeds + the reserved pod to a medium size sauce pot. Place the pot on the stove over medium high heat and bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon scoop out the strawberries, leaving the liquid in the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil and boil until it reduces to about 1/3 or 1/4 cup. Turn the heat off and add the strawberries back.

Now take two thirds of the sauce and place it in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl and allow the strawberries to cool before adding to the ice cream.

To make the crumble, preheat an oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a rimmed baking sheet.

Add the graham crackers crumbs, brown sugar, a pinch of salt and the butter to a bowl. use your hand to massage the butter into the graham crackers until the butter and sugar are evenly distributed. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Once the ice cream mixture is well chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. During the last five minutes add the strawberry sauce (NOT the chunks of strawberries). Fold in the strawberry chunks and as much of the graham cracker crumble as you like. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container (or in my case a loaf pan). Freeze for 4-6 hours before serving. Allow to sit on the counter five minutes, scoop and enjoy!