Berry Basil Ice Cream

Puree all the berries with 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a blender. When liquified, pour through a strainer into a bowl and reserve. (I suppose you don’t need to strain it if you want a more rustic ice cream with seeds in it, but even as I pushed it through a mesh sieve, some seeds still managed to get through!)

In a medium sauce pan, mix the milk, pinch of salt, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 cup of the cream. Warm the cream mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and small bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan (about 3 or 4 minutes.) Stir in the torn basil leaves, cover and remove from heat. Let this sit at least an hour or two. Taste it and if you would like a stronger basil flavor, simply let it sit longer. (Mine sat for 2 hours.)

Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with several inches of ice water. Set a metal bowl that will hold 1 1/2 quarts in the center of the ice water. Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into the inner bowl to start it chilling, which will help the rest of the mixture cool faster when you pour it in later. Have a fine strainer ready. Whisk the egg yolks.

Take the basil out of the cream mixture and rewarm for about 2-3 minutes. In a steady stream, pour half the warm cream into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so the eggs don’t cook. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a heatproof rubber spatula. The custard should be thick enough to coat the back of the spatula and a line should form when you draw your finger through it. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Be sure not to overheat the custard or let it come to a boil or it will separate and curdle. Immediately strain the custard into the cold cream in the ice bath. Cool the custard to 70°F by stirring it in the ice bath. When cooled, stir in the berry puree.

Refrigerate the custard until chilled, about 4 hours. Then freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to your manufacturer’s instructions. Store in an airtight container and freeze for about 4 hours. The ice cream will keep up to 2 weeks in your freezer.

Makes about 1 quart.