Children will scream and adults will swoon over this ice cream’s green hue and sweet, fragrant flavor. You can make the vanilla ice cream base from scratch, or simply start with store-bought.
It is fantastic served with berries, or just by itself in a pretty bowl. I love it frozen in a rectangular mold, inverted onto a platter, and then served at the table with crunchy cookies on the side and some berries on top.
- 1 1/2 quarts full-fat vanilla ice cream
- 4 cups basil leaves, stems removed
- Fresh berries and crunchy cookies, optional
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch the basil leaves for about 10 seconds, or until wilted. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.
In a blender, combine the softened ice cream and basil leaves and blend until all of an even color. Transfer to a mold and freeze until set, about 3 hours.
To serve, un-mold the ice cream on a decorative platter and garnish it with berries and/or cookies.
