Garden Recipes: Fresh Basil Ice Cream

Garden Recipes: Fresh Basil Ice Cream

How can you NOT want to eat this all summer? Walk out to your herb garden and grab a handful of that basil. The only thing that could make this better would be some fresh basil ice cream to go with it.

FRESH BASIL ICE CREAM

2 cups whole milk

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup sugar

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup well-chilled heavy cream

Bring milk, basil, 1/4 c sugar and a pinch of salt to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let it steep for 1/2 hour. Transfer to a blender and blend for 1 minute.

Beat egg yolks and remaining 1/4 c sugar with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 1 minute. Add milk mixture in a stream and mix well. Pour into saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until temperature reaches 175 and coats the back of a spoon (do not let it boil). Immediately remove from heat and strain the mixture into a metal bowl. Place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water and stir until cold, about 10 minutes.

Stir in cream and freeze in an ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.

YUM.

Photo Credit: Fresh Basil Ice Cream, Creative Commons, Basil Ice Cream by Eugene Kim is licensed under CC by 2.0