Summer

Mint-Basil Chip Ice Cream

by:
June 29, 2012
4.3
3 Ratings
Mint-Basil Chip Ice Cream
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes about 1 quart
Author Notes

I grew up in a mint-loving family. When I was a cookie-selling Brownie, I could always count on my relatives to purchase dozens of boxes of Thin Mints. My mother and my aunts adored Grasshoppers. My father thought the best thing about the Easter lamb was the mint jelly. You get the idea. As you might imagine, one of the first things I planted when I had room was mint, which in our house shows up in everything from cocktails to salads. Fortunately, in an unprecedented act of foresight, I confined the mint in its own planter so it wouldn't overrun the garden. I suspect the little mint plants are not happy about this; at night, I imagine they plot to escape their confined area, infiltrate the rest of the garden, and take over completely, which so far has not happened. The closest they get to the other herbs is recipes like this, which shows that with proper supervision, they can play nice. —wssmom

Test Kitchen Notes

The use of both basil and mint adds a unique and subtle flavor combination, elevating the sophistication level of this ice cream above that of an ordinary desert. I made only a few changes: first, I raised the temperature of the custard to 180 as Merrill suggests with the use of a candy thermometer. Also, I strained the custard through a fine sieve before chilling. Otherwise the recipe is "over the top," as described by my husband! —DianneD

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, torn
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into bits and kept cold (if you can get your hands on Ki' Xocolatl organic dark chocolate bars, so much the better)
Directions
  1. Warm the milk in a saucepan and when bubbles gently form on the side, add the basil and the mint leaves. Turn off the heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes or so. I don't think longer would hurt, but I've never had the patience to wait!
  2. When ready, strain the basil-mint milk through a sieve into a small bowl, squeezing any remaining liquid out of the leaves. Return the milk to the saucepan and reheat along with one cup of the heavy cream.
  3. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and the egg yolks together. Take a 1/2 cup of the hot basil-mint milk/cream from the saucepan and temper the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan along with the remaining cup of heavy cream.
  4. Heat over a medium flame 3-5 minutes, stirring/whisking all the while and being careful not to let it boil. When the temperature reaches 170 degrees, who am I to argue?) or the custard coats the back of a spoon, remove from the heat and pour into a chilled metal bowl. Refrigerate for at least four hours, preferably more, until completely cold.
  5. Freeze according to your ice-cream maker's directions, adding the chocolate bits and pieces at the end. Scrape into a freezable container, press wax paper or plastic wrap onto the surface, cover and freeze for two hours before serving.
  6. If you feel artistic, stick a mint and/or basil sprig into each serving.
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10 Reviews

AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames August 3, 2020
I made this as drafted the first time. The mint - fresh mint grown under the brilliant sun we have in Colorado -- overwhelmed the basil. I read somewhere when I lived in CA that a lot of full sun makes mint and its herb cousins much stronger tasting. That certainly seemed to be the case here.

The second time I made this, I used two cups of freshly picked Genoa basil leaves with only about a tablespoon of finely chopped mint. I steeped the milk for an hour. Much better! One can taste the basil, which is perfectly lovely with the chocolate. I use Alice Medrich's technique for giving the chocolate the perfect texture. https://tinyurl.com/MedrichChocolateChunksMethod . ;o)
 
exit1a
exit1a July 20, 2014
Wound up doubling both mint and basil to get a decently bright flavor, but I swapped ratios for cream and milk, so I'm not overly surprised. The basil is a nice touch, tones down some of the brightness of the mint and gives a rounder, warmer, spicier flavor.
 
theletterc
theletterc July 5, 2014
This was great! I let my milk infuse with the herbs quite a while longer than half an hour as I was cooking, and it was fine – although the basil overpowered the mint a little bit. If you intend on letting the milk hang out like I did, I might do a 2/3 cup basil to 1 1/3 cup mint, or something.

Also – like the Food52 review suggested, I didn't find the that the custard was the right consistency until around 180º.
 
Teri N.
Teri N. July 9, 2013
this was the first ice cream i ever made! Its so good and i'm so happy it was a success :D
 
Xtinabytes
Xtinabytes July 8, 2013
I've made this twice so far this summer. It's a crowd pleaser! Both adults and picky kids love it!
 
Jazzball
Jazzball June 23, 2013
What about using Tazo? I'm doubtful because it's so dry, but that's what I've got on hand.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames September 13, 2012
Outstanding. Love the headnote, too. Congrats on the CP, wssmom!
 
Bevi
Bevi July 6, 2012
mmmmmm - maybe I should take my ice cream maker on vacation with me......
 
wssmom
wssmom July 9, 2012
You mean you don't already!??!! :)
 
wssmom
wssmom June 30, 2012
It's Mexican chocolate, which a friend gave me a box full of as a gift. You can order it from Amazon.com, though.