sweet basil ice cream with slow roasted strawberries

 somewhere in between all the moving

and all the renovation plans

 
and all the tile samples 

and paint samples

and contracter meetings

and plumbing issues

and blah blah blah 


 I forgot to actually enjoy summer  

Time to fix that with fresh peaches and strawberries and planting my future garden and lots of swimming and salsa making and figuring out how to use our new shiny grill and ice cream ice cream ice cream...

happy summer! 

Sweet Basil Ice Cream with Slow Roasted Strawberries

For the Ice Cream:

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk (whole, 1% or 2%)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup packed basil leaves, torn into bite sized pieces (about 20-30 whole leaves)
5 egg yolks

Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a heavy saucepan and stir together until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Heat this mixture over medium-high until it just begins to bubble along the edges then stir in the basil. Remove from heat, cover the pan, and let steep for 20 minutes or until the cream mixture has taken on a sweet basil flavor.

In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and set aside. Strain the cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl so that no more basil pieces remain.

Pour the strained cream mixture back into the saucepan and reheat uncovered over medium-high heat. When the mixture begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium then carefully and slowly pour the cream mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, taking care to continuously whisk as your pour. When the cream mixture and the egg mixture are fully incorporated pour the whole thing back into the saucepan and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a  heat-proof spatula. Do not let the mixture boil.

Pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer into a container set in a bowl filled with ice water. Stir mixture until cool then cover and store in the fridge for at least two hours, preferably overnight. 

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. I like to place the container back into the freezer to chill while the ice cream is churning.

For the Strawberries:

1 pint fresh berries, stems removed and berries sliced in half
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon (or less) olive oil

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir together, and let sit for about 10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Spread mixture on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with a very light coat of olive oil and roast in oven for 3-4 hours until strawberries are very fragrant and look a little dried/shriveled. Store in refrigerator. 

 

 Basil Ice Cream Adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones