You may find the flavour combination of strawberry and basil slightly unorthodox but we assure you its a refreshing alternative to mint- check our this weird and wonderful pink and green ice cream.
6-8 servings of ice cream:
- 800g fresh strawberries, hulled
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- Juice of one lemon
- Juice of one orange
- 300ml double cream
- 150g caster sugar
Basil oil:
Handful of fresh basil leaves, stalks removed 500ml good quality extra virgin olive oil
Make the oil by blanching the basil leaves for a moment then plunging them into iced water.
Use a clean tea towel to gently pat them dry.
Add them with the olive oil to a food processor and whizz for a few minutes.
Decant into a bottle or jug and refrigerate.
After one week, allow the oil to reach room temperature then strain through a muslin cloth and pour into warm, sterilised bottles.
Once sealed, the oil can be stored for a couple of months.
Make the ice cream by pureeing the strawberries, basil and lemon and orange juices in a food processor.
Add the sugar and cream and mix until well combined.
Pour into a shallow tub and freeze for one hour.
Take the ice cream out of the freezer and mash and mix with a wooden spoon to break up any ice crystals.
Repeat the freezing and mixing process twice more.
Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving drizzled with the basil oil and garnished with a few fresh strawberries and basil leaves.