1 cup milk (I substituted almond milk with wonderful results)
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup honey
3–4 oz fresh or creamy goat cheese (my favorite is Vermont Creamery)
1 poached pear (recipe below)
1 cup poached pear syrup
Instructions
Slice the pear into quarters, then place the pear and poaching syrup into a small pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer on low heat, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until pear is very soft and syrup has thickened. (If you’re poaching it on the same day, simply let it simmer for 15-20 minutes longer than the recipe calls for.) Pour the syrup and pear into a blender or food processor and puree. If you want a smoother syrup, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove pulp and use only the resulting syrup. I originally thought I would use just the syrup but loved it with the pear included for a little extra texture. With the pear, this should yield a generous 1/2 cup of puree.
Add the cream, milk, honey, and goat cheese to the same pot and heat over medium heat, stirring until mixture barely begins to bubble on the edges and all ingredients are dissolved. Immediately remove from heat. Let sit, covered, for 20 minutes.
Whisk egg yolks together. Temper by whisking the warm cream mixture into the egg, a spoonful at a time, until you’ve added about half the cream. Pour the warmed egg mixture back into the original saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. For me, this took about 15 minutes (which can feel a bit long, but it’s worth it!)
Refrigerate mixture until chilled — ideally overnight. Process in your ice cream maker as per the manufacturer’s instructions. When ice cream is finished churning, add a layer to the bottom of a large tin. Add a drizzle of the pear syrup, then lightly swirl in with a chopstick or knife. (Don’t worry too much about swirling — you could just drizzle it and add another layer and the swirl effect will come through just fine.) Add another layer of ice cream and repeat. Continue until all the ice cream is in the tin.
Notes
*On the type of goat cheese, I used fresh, not the crumbles, and don’t know how it would taste if you opted for the drier type.