Basil Ice Cream
I have a habit of texting possible children names to my husband. I am not pregnant. We are not planning on having kids soon. But I would like to pick out a good, solid name. With parents named “Bonnie” and “Josiah” my kids better have a good name. My favorites are state or country names. These names are classic and have the ability to sound whimsical yet dignified. Done and done.
And so you can imagine my utter excitement when last week I decided that “Basil” was a wonderful name. Not Basil that rhymes frazzle, but Basil. Legit Basil. I got no text back.
So Basil isn’t approved for a child’s name. But it is fully approved for an ice cream. I’m not even joking. I wasn’t joking about the kid’s name either. Do you think that I get a bit more say since I will be carrying the baby for 9 months? Since I will gain the weight, get the morning sickness, and wont be able to sleep on my favorite stomach sleeping position?! I mean really.
And as kids they will do things like dye Easter eggs. I know this because my family came to town and we did this. As adults. ”Hey, Carolina Lewis, what color did you dye your egg?” ”London Lewis, are you going to write something with the magic crayon?” ”Hold on Georgia, your sister is not done with that color yet.” Clearly these two names are at the top of the list. My sister said that “Carolina Lewis” sounded like she would be cooler than every member of our family combined.
And so here I sit. Nowhere closer to nailing down a baby name, and frankly that’s probably a good thing since, well, there is no baby. But these conversations are good because they gave birth (no pun intended) to this freaking great ice cream. And don’t you think Basil Ice Cream should be eaten out of a wine glass? It’s just that classy.
Classy like my kids: Carolina, London, and Georgia.
Basil Ice Cream very slightly adapted from David Lebovitz
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1 lemon, zested and a squirt of lemon juice
Blend basil leaves, sugar, and 1 cup of cream until the basil leaves are as fine as possible. Pour about half of this mixture into a large metal bowl and add the remaining 1 cup of cream. Place the other half of the basil mixture into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the milk and salt and use a heatproof spatula to slowly combine the ingredients.Do this until just combined. Do not let mixture come anywhere near a boil. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Add about 1/2 cup of the heated mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Remove basil and milk mixture from the heat, and pour egg yolks into saucepan, whisking constantly and adding the yolks in a thin, constant, stream.
Place saucepan over medium heat and use the heatproof spatula to continuously stir until the mixture is thick enough to lightly coat the spatula. Now your custard is finished. Remove from heat and pour into the large metal bowl containing the other half of the original basil mixture. Give this a stir. Place bowl into refrigerator and let cool completely. Once cooled, zest a small lemon into a small bowl and set aside. Lightly squeeze the juice of this lemon into the cooled mixture. Pour mixture into ice cream maker that has been frozen according to manufacturer’s instructions. Churning cycle will take about 35-40 minutes. Once cycle is done, fold in lemon zest and store in airtight container until ready to eat.
Subscribe via RSS
Follow Me on Twitter
Be a Fan on Facebook
Cajun Chef Ryan — April 7, 2010 @ 12:57 pm
Basil is one of the few herbs that I have to buy plants for each year, this looks like a great way to use up my fresh basil.
Bon appetite!
CCR
=:~)
Mhe-Lhanee Benito — April 7, 2010 @ 1:37 pm
I remember a chef on Top Chef MAsters made a Basil Gelato. I am really interested on how does it taste? But for sure its definitely a bit minty and refreshing, for the basil has that taste. But i still wanna try it myself… U
citronetvanille — April 7, 2010 @ 1:53 pm
I am intrigued by your basil ice cream, I wish I could taste it, because I love basil scent, and would think would be like perfume in an ice cream! and I have no problem with serving it in a wine glass
– La classe!
Jessica — April 7, 2010 @ 4:42 pm
I’m so intrigued to try this, I love basil, and it is indeed a cool name for a future kid. I do the same thing, and my husband gets so confused thinking I want a kid NOW!
Bonnie replied: — April 7th, 2010 @ 4:53 pm
Jessica
HAHAH! I know my husband thinks I’m crazy. But at least he got a good name out of it! You go to Missouri for school? I LOVE St. Louis, GO CARDS!
Herb Plant — April 7, 2010 @ 4:58 pm
Delicious! Not for the faint of heart! This could definitely be featured on the menu of the my favorite gourmet ice cream shop in Berkeley, “Ici”. The great thing about this recipe is that you can adjust the amount of basil to your liking, from a mild hint to a bold statement.
On another note, as a fellow herb and plant, I am totally offended! Somebody call PETAH! (Plants for the ethical treatment of all herbs). I joke, I joke.
Bonnie the Baker does it again! Keep it up!
Katie — April 7, 2010 @ 4:58 pm
Mmm I love basil. I had a basil plant once. I named it “Bosley the Basil Plant.” He died in like a week and I still feel bad about leaving him to bask in the scorching September sun on the porch… don’t misread this act of torture for hatred though. Basil is my favorite herb. Oh and I couldn’t help saying the baby names of your non-existent children with a Texas accent.
Bonnie replied: — April 7th, 2010 @ 5:01 pm
Katie, YES! Please say them to me with a Texas accent. I will LOVE that, and need to practice for sure!
julia — April 7, 2010 @ 5:09 pm
This tastes INSANELY delicious. I had the priviledge of eating 2 bowls of it. Seriously my new favorite ice cream flavor. I’m not even joking. And, I tried to convince Jon of Basil about 6 months ago, no dice either. What the heck, it’s totally a good name.
gizelle marie — April 8, 2010 @ 7:40 am
this recipe makes me want to go buy an ice cream machine.
tam — April 8, 2010 @ 12:47 pm
cute blog bon! I was thinking that you could use this strong herbal flavor of ice cream in more than just a dessert way. you could use it in an amouse bouche, for instance. like atop a warm piece of succulent meat which is atop a cracker. Then, you would have the texture of the cracker, the warmth of the chicken, and then the cool refreshing blast of the basil on top. (and then drizzle it with something that ties it altogether.) k, this is what top chep has made me come up with, and i just thought i would share! It was an awesome flavor however you use it! I think we should stop playing favorites with Carolina, though. We don’t want the others to get too jel. Plus, London sounds really hot, and Georgia is sure to take over the baking business and be super sweet!
Bonnie replied: — April 8th, 2010 @ 2:57 pm
nice job on that flavor combo. I never would have guessed you that got it from a chef. And thanks for sticking up for my baby names. Someone has to. So glad I have a sister like you. Are you going to fly in for the glee party to surprise me!?!?!?!
Natalie @ Perrys' Plate — April 8, 2010 @ 10:58 pm
Hilarious. Love the names, too. I saw this ice cream in A Perfect Scoop (where I’m guessing you snagged it?) and it made me curious. Good to know it has a good review!
Thanks for dropping by yesterday and leaving me some comment love
I hope you do try that ginger mousse… it’s awesome, although I think I’d double the ginger next time. I like it when it makes my mouth tingle.
Daisy — April 11, 2010 @ 12:34 pm
This seems like the perfect light dessert for after a spicy dish. Lasagne maybe. Or even after a sunner luncheon. So spring!
tammy — April 12, 2010 @ 3:27 pm
what’s a sunner luncheon, daisy?
chad — May 1, 2010 @ 8:01 pm
I’m loving the irony in this post …
Leilani Tucker — June 10, 2010 @ 6:46 pm
This is my first time visiting your blog. I must admit, it was pretty funny!! Great job
Pam — October 20, 2010 @ 5:24 pm
I don’t know about basil ice cream but I must comment on the quality of the photography for this recipe and all the others at Bonnie the Baker’s site! Amazing, colorful and artistic. Nice!
Julia — August 29, 2011 @ 1:12 pm
I just re-read this post. You know what’s funny, I think you were pregnant. Or at least REAL soon after
Bonnie Lewis — August 29, 2011 @ 1:35 pm
Julia, I WAS!! It was for your Easter get together, when the wine tasted funny!