Mint Ice Cream
This exceptional ice cream, a variation of our basic vanilla ice cream, is flavored by infusing fresh mint leaves into the cooked custard. The result is a refreshing, velvety-smooth ice cream with a delicate pale-green tint and an unmistakably fresh mint flavor.
It bears little resemblance to the brightly colored, artificially flavored versions commonly found in supermarkets and ice cream parlors. Instead, the flavor is clean, subtle, and wonderfully aromatic—proof that a few simple ingredients can produce something truly extraordinary,
It is helpful to read Ice Cream 101 prior to beginning the recipe.
Mint Ice Cream
| Yield: 3 cups | # of Servings: 10 |
Ingredients
2 ¼ cup (18 fl oz) heavy cream
¾ cup (6 fl oz) milk
⅓ cup (2.3 oz / 65 g) sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
6 egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar (2.3 oz / 65 g) sugar
1 large, or two small, bunches of mint, organic if available, (enough to make 1 quart of loosely packed mint leaves)
Tools and equipment needed:
- Ice cream maker
- 3 qt. stainless heavy bottomed sauce pan
- Large mixing bowl (for ice bath)
- Medium mixing bowl or 2-qt bain marie (for the cooked custard)
- Small mixing bowl for the egg yolks
- Fine mesh strainer, heat-proof spatula, wire whisk, instant read thermometer, trivet or silicone trivet mat.
Pre-recipe preparations:
- Day before – if using ice cream maker with separate freezer bowl, place in freezer overnight.
- Set up ice bath
- Pick mint leaves to measure one quart. Wash and spin dry in a salad spinner. Place in the refrigerator, in a sealed container.
- Place all tools and equipment where they will be used. The heat-proof spatula and the thermometer need to ready by stove top. The ice bath, strainer, container for the cooked custard, and trivet need to ready on a counter.
Directions:
- Place the cream, milk, sugar, salt and in the sauce pan and stir together.
- Over medium heat, bring just to a simmer.
- Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, just enough to thoroughly combine.
- Temper (warm) the egg yolks by gradually whisking in approximately ⅓ of the hot cream.
- Whisk the warmed egg yolk mixture into the remaining cream.
- Cook over low heat, stirring the bottom constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until it coats the back of a spoon, 180°F
- Remove from the heat, and pour through the fine mesh strainer into the mixing bowl or bain marie.
- Whisk several times to release some heat and place in ice bath.
- Stir in the mint leaves.
- Stir the custard occasionally with a clean spatula until it cools down to 60 °F.
- Leave the mint leaves in the custard and cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- The intensity of the mint flavor is determined by how long the leaves remain in the custard. For a subtle flavor, remove after 3 to 4 hours. For the maximum mint flavor, keep the leaves in the custard until just before churning.
- Churn the ice cream according to the machine’s directions.
- Remove from machine bowl and freeze in plastic containers.
- Allow to soften for about 15 minutes before serving.