This past long weekend was hot and sunny, and Julia requested her favorite ice cream (and mine, I think) — lemon verbena gelato made from the fragrant herb growing in our kitchen garden. I also made lavender gelato and whisked in about a third of a cup of good fruity olive oil before I froze it — delicious. If you don’t have lemon verbena handy, substitute basil in the recipe below for another refreshing herbal treat.
This simple recipe makes an exceptionally light and brightly flavored ice cream because it uses no eggs and just a tad of cream to supplement the whole milk. Rich, custardy French style ice cream is delicious, but we prefer this lighter style in the summer months.
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
About 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon verbena leaves (unpacked)
1. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. In a small bowl, combine the corn starch and a few tablespoons of the milk mixture. Whisk or stir until smooth and set aside.
2. Put the lemon verbena leaves into the milk mixture and bring to the boil.
3. Cover and let steep for at least half an hour.
4. Strain out the leaves and return the fragrant milk mixture to the saucepan.
5. Add the cornstarch slurry, sugar, corn syrup and salt and bring to the boil, stirring frequently.
6. Strain again into a metal bowl place into an ice bath and chill for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. Or, chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours before freezing.
7. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the gelato is the consistency of soft serve ice cream, transfer it to a metal or plastic container and place in the freezer for at least two hours before serving.
Serve alone or with fresh summer fruit.
Photos: Maria Moyer
