honey vanilla sunflower ice cream

this recipe is based on an ice cream flavor i had last summer in rapid city. all across the country there are little homemade ice cream shops, and because they don't exactly flourish in chicago and it was necessary to consume an absurd amount of calories, we tended to stop at them whenever we got the chance.
the funny thing about taste and smell is the memories that they'll bring back to you. who knew that the combo of honey, vanilla, and sunflower seeds would remind me of how glorious washing machines and dryers are? on a cross country bicycle ride, one tends to get pretty stinky, and sometimes you just can't get the stink out without help from a machine. the above mentioned ice cream shop was a few blocks from our stay over in rapid city, but right across the street, like a beacon of joy, was a laundromat.
so i guess this post is for my fellow riders, who know the importance of both ice cream and fresh laundry. enjoy : )

rapid city memories (in edible form):

1 cup whole milk
1 vanilla bean pod
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
5 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, lightly toasted

in a medium saucepan over medium heat combine milk, honey, sugar, and salt. split the vanilla bean pod lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the milk mixture, and add the pod along as well. cook the mixture for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until the honey and sugar have completely dissolved.
in a small bowl mix the egg yolks and while stirring constantly, slowly add half of the heated milk. if you don't continue to stir while adding the milk, the eggs could curdle. pour the heated eggs back into the saucepan. cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the saucepan, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the spoon.
add the cream to a large bowl, and strain the milk and egg mixture into it. return the vanilla pod to the mixture and add the additional vanilla extract. allow to chill completely and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
just before the end of the churning process, incorporate the sunflower seeds into the ice cream.

for added sunflower-y goodness, heat sunflower seed butter until it is somewhat runny and drizzle over the ice cream before serving.