Midnight Speckle Black Pepper Ice Cream

Toast the whole peppercorns in a dry saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Shake the pan constantly to prevent burning.

Roughly crack the toasted peppercorns using a mortar and pestle. Do not grind them into a powder; you want large pieces to infuse flavor without making the cream gritty.

In the saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, honey, cracked peppercorns, vanilla (pod and seeds), and salt. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat (approx 85°C/185°F), then remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and slightly thickened. Reheat the cream mixture until it just begins to steam again.

Temper the yolks by slowly pouring about one-third of the hot cream mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (nappe) and reaches 82°C/180°F. Do not boil.

Immediately strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove the peppercorns and vanilla pod. Discard the solids.

Place the bowl in an ice bath to cool down quickly, stirring occasionally. Once cool, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Churn the chilled custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches soft-serve consistency.

Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 4 hours to firm up before serving.