Fresh Spearmint Ice Cream

By pattie_d

No food coloring required to achieve the cool green hue of this refreshing ice cream: Simply blanch the fresh mint and puree it in the blender to achieve the perfect shade.

There's not a drop of food-coloring in this old-fashioned ice cream. Its pale color and sprightly flavor speak to its purity and its short ingredient list: milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and fresh-from-the-garden mint.

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed fresh spearmint, preferably Kentucky Colonel
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar

Details

Servings 3
Adapted from marthastewart.com

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare an ice-water bath. Cook mint in a small saucepan of boiling water until bright green, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer mint to ice-water bath. When cool, drain, and squeeze out excess water. Reserve ice-water bath.

Puree mint and milk in a blender until mint is finely chopped. Transfer to a medium saucepan, add cream, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs and sugar in a medium bowl.
Gradually whisk 1/3 of the cream mixture into the egg mixture, then pour egg-cream mixture into the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture. Set over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 8 minutes. (Do not let the mixture come to a simmer.)

Strain through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl, pressing on mint to extract liquid. Set bowl in ice-water bath. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container, and freeze until firm, about 4 hours (or up to 1 week).