(Ice) Cream Queens

It was only a matter of time before the boys behind Big Gay Ice Cream, Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint, would get a book to reinforce the phenomenal success of their New York and L.A. empire. As they explain in the introduction, Petroff and Quint had no experience in the food business before Quint saw an ad on Facebook for an ice cream truck driver. The two men decided it would be fun to blog about Quint's new venture, which is when they coined "Big Gay Ice Cream Truck," originally as a placeholder. It turned out that people like the idea of big gay ice cream, and they liked it even better when they tried it. Success was not long in coming. Their book is cleverly styled a school year book, complete with an opening note from the headmaster, Anthony Bourdain, and chapters that work as a step-by-step guide to becoming full fledged graduates, from sophomore tricks like dressing up your ice cream with toasted curried coconut to recipes for Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Ice Cream. Below, a recipe for their popular cardamom ice cream. Cardamom Ice Cream Cardamom is a unique ingredient. Many people ask us what it is, thinking they aren't familiar with it, but we give them a pinch to smell, and they instantly recognize it from Indian cooking. More than simply flavoring a food, it gives it a fragrance. With both cardamom and vanilla, this ice cream fills your mouth with flavor in the way few other combinations can. We think it's pretty goddamned interesting and even more goddamned delicious. Ingredients: 5 large egg yolks 2 cups heavy cream 1 1/2 cups whole milk 2 tablespoons ground cardamom A small handful of cardamom pods (about 10), crushed with the side of a chef's knife 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt 1: Whisk the egg yolks in a large nonreactive saucepan; set aside. Warm the cream, milk, ground cardamom, and crushed cardamom pods in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often to keep the mixture from scorching, for 15 minutes, until very aromatic. Add the mixture (it's fine to leave the pods in for this step-you'll strain them out later) to the yolks in a slow, steady stream, whisking continuously. 2: Set the saucepan over medium-low heat, add the vanilla, sugar, and salt, and stir for about 2 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking, stirring continuously, for another five minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken; do not allow to boil. Transfer the pan to an ice bath to stop the cooking and stir until the steaming stops. 3: Pour the mixture through a sieve to remove the cardamom pods and seeds, transfer to an airtight container, cover, and refrigerate for at least six hours. 4: Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When it is finished, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze for at least two hours to harden. The ice cream can be stored in the freezer for up to five days.