So excited to finally share what I’ve been concocting this week! Trust me when I say basil in your ice cream is a very good thing. It is! Though it might sound unusual, it’s floral and sweet and creamy and delicious. And the lemon wafer cookie just puts it over the top. The base of this ice cream pulls from our very favorite homemade vanilla ice cream. Bon Appetit!

Basil Ice Cream

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• Total Time: 12 hr.
• Yield: 1 1/2 quarts 1x

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Description

This creamy ice cream is made with the addition of basil. It’s pale green naturally and so delicious. Just blend the basil into the milk ahead of time and voila!

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Ingredients

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• 2 1/2 c. whole milk
• 1/2 c. basil leaves, lightly packed
• 2 c. heavy cream
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Garnish

• Lemon wafter cookie

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Instructions

1. In a blender, puree the milk and basil leaves.
2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven, large enough to hold the liquids if they were to double in size, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, 1 cup of the sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine.
3. Heat over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and begins to simmer, whisking occasionally so as not to scald the mixture. Turn down the heat as necessary.
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until creamy and slightly more pale than when you began, about 1 minute. Set aside.
5. Once the milk mixture comes to a low simmer, carefully measure out about one cup. Pour about 1/3 of it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs. (You’ll want to work quickly and constantly here so that you don’t curdle/scramble the egg as you temper them.) Whisk in the remaining milk, whisking constantly to combine. Now add the egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking continually. Cook for about 1-2 minutes more until the mixture begins to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
6. Pour mixture in a large bowl over a fine-mesh sieve to catch any egg clumps. Cover and place in the fridge to cool, about 3 hours. To speed up the cooling process, place a bowl in an ice bath or place in the freezer sans ice bath for 30 minutes.
7. Once the mixture is cold, make ice cream according to your machine’s instructions. Ice cream is best after an overnight freeze post churning.
8. Serve with a lemon wafer cookie (purchased at Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s) and a sprig of basil if you wish.

• Prep Time: 10 min.

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