Olive Oil Ice Cream with flaky Sea Salt

Smooth ice cream, a bit oily on the tongue, with a strong vanilla aroma and a pinch of sea salt. I experienced this combination for the first time two summers ago in Sicily, in Ragusa, where I spotted a small ice cream shop which offered flavours I had never even thought of before. They made ice cream from grapes which I know well from wine but they used them for their frozen sweets. Moscato was one of them and it became my grape ice cream favourite.

Another very sensual experience was their olive oil ice cream with sea salt, it's like frozen velvet! It's one of those things you have to taste as you can't imagine it. I got hooked on it. Both ingredients, the oil and the salt sound very unusual but make a lot of sense, much like my Mousse au Chocolat with olive oil, the oil adds a soft nuttiness which comes through even stronger through the salt. The texture it creates leaves a nice feeling in the mouth, soft and smooth. Unfortunately, I only made half the amount of my recipe, a mistake I won't repeat!

Olive Oil Ice Cream

For 4 people you need

• organic egg yolks 6

• granulated sugar 160g / 5.5 ounces

• milk 500ml / 17 ounces

• heavy cream 200ml / 7 ounces

• vanilla bean, slit slightly, 1

• olive oil 160ml / 5.5 ounces

• flaky sea salt for topping

Beat the eggs and sugar for 3 minutes till thick and creamy.

In a saucepan, bring the milk, cream and vanilla bean to a boil. Take off the heat, take the vanilla bean out and scrape the seeds out of the bean into the milk. Add the egg mixture and cook for around 8-10 minutes on a medium-low heat till it starts to thicken, whisking constantly. Stir in the olive oil and a pinch of salt and cool in the fridge. Freeze in the ice cream maker for 20 minutes and put in the freezer for 1 hour. Mix with a spoon and serve sprinkled with flaky sea salt.