Dairy Queen

Basil-Black Cherry Ice Cream

Posted August 6, 2018

Seems like not a day goes by that yet another frozen yogurt shop pops up on the corner. Curse you, Pinkberry! Why didn’t you just let that trend stay dead and buried? Some of us still prefer our fats in the form of a juicy steak, creamy salted butter, or even better, as a sweet and richly delicious scoop of homemade ice cream.

After a few summers of ice cream making and mistakes (don’t worry — the “mistakes” are just as delicious to eat), I have adapted a few great recipes into new favorites, like this basil ice cream. Herbaceous and not overly sweet, it’s great as a stand-alone summer dessert or equally good plopped on top of a crusty fruit tart. Terryl Gavre, owner of Cafe 222 and co-owner of Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant; breadandbutterismyjam.com, @terrylgavre

Basil-Black Cherry Ice Cream

Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar
1 cup fresh basil
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup light corn syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp salt
6 large egg yolks
1½ cups pitted, roughly chopped fresh black cherries

Directions:
1. Place sugar and basil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until basil is minced and combined with sugar (it should be sandy in texture).

2. In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot, bring everything except the egg yolks and cherries to a low simmer. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a small, high-sided bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are smooth. While whisking the yolks, slowly pour about a cup of the warm cream mixture into the eggs. Then, slowly pour the entire yolk mixture immediately back into the pot of cream mixture, whisking the entire time. Place pot back on low heat and allow the mixture to slowly heat back up until the mixture slightly thickens (about 170º on an instant-read thermometer). Do not rush or over-cook; you want it to just thicken. Going too far will result in cooked eggs, and then you have to start over. Sadly, I know this from personal experience.

3. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool to room temperature or chill overnight before placing it into an ice cream maker. Spin your ice cream according to manufacturers’ instructions. When finished, fold in cherries.

4. Sometimes I can’t wait, and we eat it directly from the machine (soft-serve), or you can place it in a freezer container and freeze until hard for firmer, scoopable ice cream.