Basil Ice Cream

I know what you’re thinking. I thought the same thing. Herbs in ice cream?

Ice cream is sweet. Chocolate, strawberry, cookie dough…all of those belong in ice cream. Not something you dig out of your backyard. But when I got a huge bunch of fresh basil in my CSA box, I just didn’t feel like making yet another boring pesto. And during a 90-odd degree DC summer week, I wanted ice cream. So I dug out the ice cream maker and whipped up a batch of this, kind of just to see if it would actually be good.

And it was. It was really good. The earthy, peppery basil is tempered by the sugar, a bit of tart lime and the creaminess of milk. The final outcome is a subtle but complex flavor that’s refreshing and absolutely perfect for a summer day, or as a sophisticated finish for a fancy dinner.

Right after I instagrammed a (rather unattractive) photo of the just-finished ice cream and cross-posted it to my personal Facebook, a good friend replied to tell me she’d just had surgery and would love some of this, but could only have non-dairy ice cream. An excuse to whip up another batch and help a good friend? Absolutely! The non-dairy version (which is not vegan as it still contains egg yolks) turned out even better than the classic – I have no explanation as to why. I used coconut creamer, which may have lent it another level of flavor. Either way, the recipient was happy and so was I. The recipe below contains the non-dairy substitutes I used so you can try either version. I hope you enjoy it as much as my friend and I did!

Basil Ice Cream

 

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Peppery basil is tempered by sugar, lime zest and cream to make a subtly earthy, sophisticated ice cream.

Category: Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 cup lightly packed basil leaves
• 1 cup milk (or unsweetened almond milk)
• ½ cup heavy cream (or coconut creamer)
• ⅓ cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• Zest of one lime
• Pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
2. Pour into a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and cover surface directly with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator until completely chilled (2-3 hours).
4. Process in an ice cream maker according to instructions (I processed mine for about 15 minutes).
5. Serve immediately or freeze. If freezing, remove about 10 minutes prior to serving to soften.

Notes

If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can still make this! It'll just take a little more time and work. Freeze a stainless steel bowl for about 30 minutes. Place the chilled basil mixture into the frozen bowl and freeze for about 30 minutes, then stir vigourously. Repeat every 30 minutes until ice cream is frozen (usually 4-5 times).

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