by Sandy Smith
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my 2 recipes »
Photo by Sarah Shatz
A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand CollapseSandy Smith's Notes:
Expand1 cup half-and-half or light cream Ask a question about this ingredient
2/3 cups granulated sugar Ask a question about this ingredient
2 tablespoons honey Ask a question about this ingredient
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest Ask a question about this ingredient
8 fresh basil leaves, divided Ask a question about this ingredient
2 cups whole milk Ask a question about this ingredient
Juice of 3 lemons, chilled Ask a question about this ingredient
Pinch fine sea salt Ask a question about this ingredient
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the half-and-half, sugar, honey, and lemon zest. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and add 4 whole basil leaves. Using the back of a large spoon or ladle, bruise the basil leaves against the bottom of the pot. Cover and let steep 15 minutes.
Ask a question about this stepRemove the basil leaves and discard, then whisk in the milk. Place the mixture in an ice-water bath or refrigerate until completely chilled.
Ask a question about this stepSlice the remaining 4 basil leaves in very thin strips. Whisk the lemon juice into the chilled sherbet base, add the sea salt, and stir in the sliced basil. Taste for sweetness; adjust by adding an additional tablespoon or two of honey, if needed.
Ask a question about this stepFreeze the sherbet mixture in an ice-cream maker, following manufacturer's instructions. For optimal flavor and texture, freeze sherbet for a couple of hours before serving.
Ask a question about this stepJust the right amount of tanginess and basil flavour, not vegetal-tasting, but supremely good. I served it with wild blueberry pie, and it was the perfect complement. Highly recommended, and thanks for the great recipe!
Made this without an ice-cream maker and it still came out great! I used meyer lemons and I added about an extra meyer lemon's worth of juice to the recipe. After allowing it to chill in the fridge for an hour or so, I froze it in an air tight container over night. I then carved out a serving into the food processor and blended it until it was nice and smooth. I liked this, too, because it kind of cut up the basil into even smaller pieces! Will make again!
Mmm, mmm, MMM! The only thing I did differently was added more lemon juice until I was happy. I used it as a palate cleanser and it was FANtastic! Thanks for the recipe!
Delicious! I made this for my family and we all love it! Do you think this technique would work for other herbs? I'd like to make lavender ice cream, for example.
Yes! This technique works great for all manner of herbs and spices, and teas too. If you're using a dried herb, though, you'll only need about 1/3 as much. If you want to see how this would work with a tea, you might want to check out my blog post featuring my recipe for Earl Grey ice cream with crystallized ginger: http://www.atthebakersbench.com/2010/06/on-not-baking-my-own-and-my-first.html
Cheers,
Sandy
Marion is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at NYU and the author of several books on food policy, including Safe Food and What To Eat.
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Very simple ingredients.
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Sandy Smith calls for the juice of 3 lemons. We found that it measured between 1/2 and 2/3 of a cup of juice.
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Merrill was using Amanda's technique of rubbing the lemon against the microplane. Equally effective, she had to admit.
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After we brought this mixture to a simmer, and the sugar dissolved, we added 4 whole basil leaves, and bruised them against the bottom of the pan. Then we took it off the heat, and allowed it to steep for 15 minutes.
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We removed the bruised basil leaves...
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... and added the milk.
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We chose to cool the mixture in an ice bath as we were pressed for time. Also, apparently Merrill loves ice baths...
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Chiffonading basil is really simple, just roll, slice, and add to the sherbet base.
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Adding the lemon juice.
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Even before we froze it, the mixture was delicious.
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We froze it in the machine for about 20 minutes, and then transferred it to the freezer. After an hour or so, it was solid, scoopable, and totally refreshing.
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Delicious!
I've made this twice now and intend on making it regularly - it's the perfect balance between citrus tang and sweetness. I just used regular lemons, but will experiment with meyer lemons next. I don't have an ice cream maker, so followed DaniMama's suggestion of blending the ice hard frozen mixture in a blender (I don't have a food processor either). After blending, I let it freeze for another few hours, and then it truly became the texture of sherbet or sorbet. Great tip!