Honey & Toasted Sesame Seed Gelato

2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup strong-flavored honey (darker in color)
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1) Place the milk and honey in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir to combine.  Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture registers 170F (77C) on an instant read thermometer.
2) In a nonreactive, medium-size bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until foamy and slightly thickened.
3) Carefully temper the egg yolks with the hot milk mixture by slowly adding about half of the hot liquid to the eggs, whisking continuously with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula, cook the mixture over medium heat until it registers 185F (85C) on an instant read thermometer, or is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon or spatula, taking care to make sure the mixture does not boil.  Remove from the heat.  Emulsify the mix, if not completely smooth, before incorporating into the cold cream.
4) Pour the heavy cream into a clean, large stainless steel mixing bowl or glass set over an ice bath.
5) Pour the heated custard through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer into the cold cream, add the sesame oil and seeds, and stir until fully incorporated.  Stir occasionally (about every 5 minutes or so) until the mixture has fully cooled.  This should take about 1/2 hour.  Remove the mixing bowl from the ice bath, dry off the bottom of the bowl if necessary, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
6) When ready, pour the chilled mixture into the ice-cream maker and process according to manufacturer's specifications.
7) Remove the finished gelato from the ice-cream maker and place in a plastic container.  Cover with plastic wrap by pressing the wrap gently against the top of the gelato, affix lid to container, and place in the freezer to fully harden before serving.

Review:  Mike got me an ice cream maker for my birthday (albeit an early present).  I then received several accessories for my birthday.  I was lucky enough to get a Ben & Jerry's recipe book, a gelato recipe book and a digital thermometer.  I also received three sets of ice cream bowls that were super cute, but each shipment (two were replacements) arrived broken.  The ones that were salvaged are chipped, but still usable.  I was granted a credit, which I applied to the purchase of a cd I really wanted, and a digital thermometer.  The bad amazon.com luck continued, as the well-rated thermometer would not turn on.  It's on it's way back, but I managed to get one at Wal-Mart for the same price.  It all evens out, but I feel bad that such a sweet gesture had such a bad run of luck.

So, this venture feels like a belated celebration, but I wanted to make sure I did this right, with all the necessary equipment.  I slaved over it most of Saturday and let it chill all day.  I placed this into the ice cream maker late at night, and then let it freeze overnight.  Ah, my first gelato venture.  This was pretty tasty, and fancy.  It was heavy on the toasted sesame flavor, but yet sweet at the same time.  Yum.  Mike wants to recreate it, using toasted almonds and omitting the sesame oil.

Chilling in the ice bath:

Frozen:

In a cute bowl: