Hot enough for ya? (Yeah, we thought so.) Terrain to the rescue!
We were so excited when we saw this delicious recipe for Basil Ice Cream from Styer’s Garden Cafe’s chef Keith Rudolf that we just had to share it with all of you. We love the idea of combining two of summer’s most delicious treats: fresh basil and ice cream. What do you think? Is this a combo you’d be willing to try?
Basil Ice Cream
Ice cream making machine
3 cups half & half
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla pod, scraped—be sure to save the pod
8 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
2 bunches fresh basil
Olive oil
In a large pot of boiling water, quickly blanch the basil. Be sure to have a bowl of ice water ready to shock the basil after blanching.
Combine half & half, heavy cream and vanilla bean along with the pod. Place over a medium-high burner and bring to a simmer. Be sure not to let it reach a boil!
In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture reaches a custard-like consistency. Remove the vanilla pod from cream and discard. Then, temper the cream into the egg mixture a little at a time, whisking continuously.
Once all the cream is incorporated into the egg mixture, place the bowl over a double boiler—save on clean-up by re-using the pot you blanched the basil in. Whisk the ice cream base over the boiler for about 10 minutes. When it begins to thicken, strain the cream base through a fine chinois; this will ensure no impurities get into the final product. Place the mixture into the refrigerator.
Puree the basil in a blender with a splash of olive oil.
Once your cream mixture has chilled, pour it with the basil puree into your ice cream machine. Follow your ice cream machine’s instructions for churning. 25 minutes is typically a sufficient amount of time.
Scoop ice cream out of the machine and place in your freezer.
Once frozen, serve garnished with basil in your favorite set of sundae dishes.
Photo credit: Terrain.
