As anyone who knows me will testify, my body is a temple. A Buddhist temple. Friends have cruelly suggested I had been in training for the following events in the London 2012 Olympic Games—the diabetics and the paralytics. In response, I thought I could kill two birds with one stone by undergoing an eight-day hunger strike outside the home of the prime minister in protest about the lack of equal parenting rights in the UK. By Day 6, an armed response team were protecting David Cameron's refrigerator and I would have killed for a quiche. I knew licorice had to be in the book after I began hallucinating about a character made from assorted licorice candies. The Prime Minister subsequently sent me a letter as slippery as his preelection commitments.
Ingredients
About 2 cups
Step 1
1. Put the licorice in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water and place over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the licorice has melted.
Step 2
2. Meanwhile, pour the milk and cream into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to steam but not boil.
Step 3
3. Whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until pale and slightly fluffy. Gradually and slowly, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Return the mixture to the saucepan, place over low heat, stir in the melted licorice, and heat until the custard thinly coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not let boil. Add the black food coloring to desired effect.
Step 4
4. Pour back into the bowl and set aside for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooled to room temperature. For more rapid chilling, fill a sink halfway with cold water and ice and place the bowl of mixture in it for 20 minutes. Never put the hot mixture into the refrigerator.
Step 5
5. Once cooled, cover the mixture and refrigerate, ideally overnight, but at least for 6 hours, until thoroughly chilled (at least 40°F). Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Step 6
6. When the churning is complete, use a spoon or spatula to scrape the ice cream into a freezer-proof container with a lid. Freeze until it reaches the correct scooping texture (at least 2 hours).
Calabrian licorice is probably the best in the world. The soil and climate in Calabria, the "toe" of Italy, is ideal for growing glycyrrhiza glabra, the roots of which produce licorice with a bittersweet taste that is said to have soothing properties for digestion and sore throats
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Reviews (10)
Back to TopSince this says crushed licorice, I assumed that meant the hard sticks like I saw in old-fashioned candy stores 40 years ago, but have never seen near where I live now. However, my husband was always talking about how much he loved buying licorice ice cream cones as a kid, so I was not deterred. In case you are in a similar situation, here is what I have learned, having made this several times now. I cut up the soft licorice sticks into small pieces, add about double the water, start at medium low, and stir frequently. When the pieces are about half melted, I turn to low, and use a potato masher to stir and mash almost constantly until melted. I don’t start the custard until only some small bits remain. Otherwise, I make this exactly as written, using plenty of black food coloring since my husband likes it to look like tar, just like when he was a kid (lol). He absolutely loves this. I detest licorice, but had a taste last time and was surprised to like it, too.
Roselane
Kansas
8/19/2022
Nummy nummy spuneded ao I made and it was delicious with a Sabucha liquor
Elizabeth Fischer
Azle Texas
7/19/2022
Have made about four different recipes. This one could be the one.
Kim
Portland Oregon
1/3/2022
Wow - That is my idea of Liquorice Heaven!
ADF2000
London
10/26/2020
jet fuel cant melt steel beams. Bush did 9/11
Lizard_People_Are_Real
UR MUM
5/9/2016
i think this recipe went well and it was the hit of the night
sabbaB4089
hit in the butt ANL
1/30/2014
so scrumptious i would eat this everydsay
Anonymous
the hood USA
1/30/2014
eat love eat love im in love with it its so luscious mmmm3
Anonymous
uterus
1/30/2014
i love this so much its the best 3
Anonymous
my mom OR
1/30/2014
