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1
In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup of the cream with the milk, sugar and a pinch of salt. Warm the cream mixture over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.
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2
To infuse a flavor, stir in your selection, remove from heat, cover, and let it sit for one hour. Taste and let sig longer if you want a stronger flavor.
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3
Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with several inches of ice water. Set a smaller bowl (one that holds at least 1 1/2 quarts) in the ice water. Pour the remaining cup of cream into the inner bowl. Set a fine strainer on top. Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl.
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4
If you have infused the cream mixture, re-warm it over medium high heat until tiny bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. In a steady stream, pour half of the warm cream mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.
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5
Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spoon or rubberspatula until the custard thickens slightly (it should be thick enough to coat the utensil and hold a line drawn through it with a finger) 4 to 8 minutes. An instant read thermometer whould read 175 to 180 degrees at this time. Don't let the sauce overheat or boil, or it will curdle. Immediately strain the custard into the cold cream in the ice bath. If using an infusion ingredient, press firmly in the strainer with the spoon to extract as much flavor as possible. If you wnat to add melted chocolate and cocoa , do so now.
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6
Cool the custard to below 70degrees by stirring it in the ice bath. To add a flavor other than chocolate stir it into the cooled custard.
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7
finish above
