Nyons Olive Oil Ice Cream

Ice cream expert Emmanuel Ryon’s velvety Nyons olive oil ice cream balances fragrant thyme, silky cream and peppery Provençal olive oil in a dessert with an unexpected savoury twist

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp (100 g) heavy cream
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (50 g) atomised glucose
• ½ cup (50 g) non-fat milk powder
• 1 tsp ice cream stabiliser
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp (95 ml) Nyons
• PDO black olive infusion, plus more for serving

METHOD

• In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, thyme, and salt. Bring to a boil.
• Stir in the sugar, atomised glucose, milk powder, and stabiliser.
• Mix and heat to 181°F (83°C), checking with a probe thermometer.
• Strain and blend with an immersion blender. Transfer to a heatproof container and cool quickly in the freezer to 39°F (4°C).
• Stir in the olive oil gently and refrigerate for 4 hours.
• Blend again and churn. Freeze for 10 minutes after churning.
• To plate, scoop out balls of ice cream.
• Use the back of a spoon to form a well in the centre of each one. Freeze again.
• Just before serving, pour a drizzle of Nyons PDO black olive infusion into the well.

• Nyons PDO black olive infusion is a velvety infusion made by steeping Nyons PDO black olives in extra-virgin olive oil, creating rich flavours of ripe black olive and truffle. It can be found at leshallesprovencales.fr. If you can’t buy it online, use another high quality olive oil of your choice.

Extracted from The Art of Frozen Desserts by Emmanuel Ryon. Tra Publishing 2026, £34. Photography Delphine Constantini. Ryon holds the Meilleur Ouvrier de France title for ice cream and pastry and won the prestigious World Pastry Champion award in 1999. If you want to taste his creations for yourself, head to ice cream shop Une Glace à Paris at 15 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie in Paris’ 4th arrondissement, which he founded in 2015 with Olivier Ménard, of Pierre Hermé and Harrods.