Lemon Thyme Ice Cream...with Rhubarb Syrup

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I have a few summer goals, two of which involve my health: weight loss and training for a 1/2 marathon. My intentions are good, my desire is strong, yet here I sit watching Breaking Bad and having a deliciously large helping of Lemon Thyme Ice Cream topped with Rhubarb Syrup for dinner. Hey - the lemon thyme and rhubarb are from the garden, so this can't be all that bad, right? 

Today was the last day of school with students. I graded exams, began packing up my room, and then came home to find two of my besties ill with  cases of the squirts...all over my house. So, I rushed Carmen the Cat and Franklin the Puppy to the vet, dropped all the money Andy and I will be making proctoring the ACT this upcoming Saturday (and then some), and returned home to clean up the doo-doo. A girl deserves a big helping of delectables after that, wouldn't you agree?

Since we planted a lemon thyme plant last summer, we've been hoping to use it for something wonderful. Kathy, Andy's colleague, brought him a recipe for lemon thyme ice cream last fall, but we never got around to using it before the snow (or it could have been because I was trying to lose weight and train for a 1/2 marathon...my will power is rock solid, I swear!). Finally, tonight, we whipped up a batch.

It was well worth the wait. Tart. Sweet. Refreshing. Delicious. WIN.  ...and I'm gonna work out and eat well tomorrow. Seriously.

Wanna make your own? Here you go:
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 oz fresh cut lemon thyme (rinsed)
9 egg yolks
1 cup sugar

1. Put the heavy cream and whole milk in a saucepan and heat until it is about to boil.

2. Add the lemon thyme. Stir. Remove from heat and leave to infuse for one hour.

3. Slowly reheat the mixture and remove the lemon thyme.
4. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. Then, slowly add in the milk mixture. Be sure to whisk quickly as you pour in the milk so that the eggs do not cook.
5. Return mixture to pan. Over low heat, stir continuously until the back of your spoon is coated.
6. Cool. Then, put the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow its instructions.
7. If you want, top with a yummy, tangy syrup like our Rhubarb Syrup. Or enjoy as is!

...and 8. If you have egg-laying hens, don't forget to give them all of the egg shells! Janis and Spindy were delirious when they saw the stash of calcium I was about to give them.