Foraging & Feasting’s Leaf & Flower Ice Cream Recipe PDF<\/a>, or follow the instructions here:<\/p>\nLeaf & Flower Custard Ice Cream Master Recipe<\/b><\/p>\n
Makes one quart<\/p>\n
By infusing aromatic leaves and flowers into the custard base we can create unusual flavors, producing perfumed and subtle-scented ice creams such as rose, or more robust flavors like peppermint. The more plant material used, the stronger the flavor. Additionally, the longer we steep the leaves and flowers in the custard base, the stronger the flavors. However at some point certain plants may impart a bitter or astringent note that may not be desirable. Also be aware that the heated cream and milk can rot outside of refrigeration, so if steeping for longer than an hour, reheat the mixture to a gentle simmer for a few seconds after each hour passes. Reheating will also increase the flavors released by the plants. Most likely you’ll want to use sweet, floral, minty or fruity smelling plants for making ice cream, but you can use any edible aromatic \u2014 even pungent or spicy ones such as garlic, ginger or sage \u2014 to create surprising taste variations.<\/i><\/p>\n\n- 2 cups heavy cream (grassfed and organic, if possible)<\/b><\/li>\n
- 1 cup milk (grassfed and organic, if possible)<\/b><\/li>\n
- \u00bd cup sweetener, or to taste, such as maple syrup or Sucanat<\/b><\/li>\n
- 2 tightly packed cups fresh aromatic herbs and flowers of choice, finely chopped: Use leaves and\/ or flowers and discard stems. If flowers are larger, like roses, remove their calyx (see below).\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
- 6 egg yolks (fresh, pasture-raised and organically fed)\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
- Pinch sea salt<\/b><\/li>\n
- Optional: 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (p. 215), rum, cognac or other liquor\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Combine cream, milk, sweetener and herb of choice in a non-reactive pot and cover. Over low heat, bring mixture to a gentle simmer, stir well, cover and turn off heat.<\/li>\n
- Let mixture steep, tightly covered, for 10 minutes to 4 hours*. If steeping the plant material for longer than an hour, reheat to a gentle simmer for a few seconds after each hour passes. If the mixture has cooled while steeping, reheat it gently and very briefly before proceeding to the next step.<\/li>\n
- In a 3-quart heavy-gauged-bottom pot, gently beat egg yolks with pinch of salt, then, whisk two tablespoons of the mixture into egg yolks. Whisk in another two tablespoons of mixture. Whisk the remaining mixture into the egg yolks.<\/li>\n
- Place pot over very low heat and stir the custard constantly until it begins to thicken, about 7\u2013<\/span>10 minutes.<\/li>\n
- Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve, squeezing out any remaining liquid from the plant material. Stir in optional ingredient.<\/li>\n
- Chill the custard in a covered container to 40\u00baF. (At this point the custard ice cream base can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)<\/li>\n
- Process custard in an ice-cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions.<\/li>\n
- Serve immediately or store in the freezer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
*Note:\u00a0The length of time to steep the mixture<\/b>\u00a0depends on one’s taste preference and the volatility of the chosen herb. Different plants, as well as different plant parts, release their flavor, aroma, color, and other characteristics at varying speeds. As a general rule,\u00a0steep<\/b>\u00a0flowers for 10\u201330\u00a0minutes, leaves 1\/2\u20134 hours, and roots, barks, berries and seeds 1\/2\u20134\u00a0hours<\/b>, keeping in mind that frequently tasting the mixture as it steeps is the best way to tell when a good flavor has been achieved.<\/span><\/p>\nCoconut Milk Variation<\/i><\/b><\/span>: For a\u00a0dairy-free version<\/b>, use 3 cups of coconut milk in place of the dairy.<\/p>\nDried Leaf and Flower Variations<\/i><\/b><\/span>:\u00a0Make Leaf & Flower Custard Ice Cream\u00a0with freshly dried leaves<\/b>\u00a0and flowers<\/b>\u00a0by replacing the fresh herbs with \u00bc of the amount of dried. So for each quart of ice cream,\u00a0use \u00bd cup (1\/2<\/b>–<\/b><\/span>\u2013<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>2\/3 oz by weight) dried leaf or flower<\/b>\u00a0(unless otherwise directed; see specific plants below).<\/p>\nAromatic Seed, Bark & Roots Ice Cream:<\/span>\u00a0<\/i><\/b>To make ice cream\u00a0with fresh or dried aromatic seeds, barks<\/b>\u00a0and roots\u00a0<\/b>such as sweet cicely seeds, fennel seeds, sassafras root bark, and cinnamon bark, in general\u00a0use 1\u20132\u00a0oz (by weight) of freshly, coarsely crushed seed, bark, or root<\/b>\u00a0in place of the fresh aromatic herbs and follow the directions above. Keep in mind if an herb is strongly aromatic, less may be needed.<\/p>\nSome aromatic ice cream flavors (with plants featured in this book):<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Anise hyssop leaf (and flower if available): steep 1\/2\u20131\u00a0hour.<\/li>\n
- Lemon balm leaf (and flower if available): steep 1 hour.<\/li>\n
- Mint leaf (and flower if available): steep 1\/2\u20132 hours. Apple mint (mild), peppermint (strong), spearmint (moderately strong).<\/li>\n
- Sweet cicely fresh-green seed: use 2 oz seed, steep about 1\u00bd hours (subtle anise-like flavor).<\/li>\n
- Rosa rugosa<\/i>\u00a0flower petals or other highly scented rose variety: steep \u00bd hour (subtle flavor).<\/li>\n
- Bee balm leaf (and flower if available): steep 5\u201320\u00a0minutes (floral, spicy).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Other aromatic ice creams (with plants not featured in this book):\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Aniseed: steep 1\u20132\u00a0hours.<\/li>\n
- Basil (Italian, lemon and sacred varieties): steep for 2 hours.<\/li>\n
- Cardamom seed: steep about \u00be hour.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cinnamon: steep 1 hour.<\/li>\n
- Fennel seed: steep 1\u20132\u00a0hours.<\/li>\n
- Ginger root: use only \u00bc cup fresh root or 1\/8 cup dried root per batch.<\/li>\n
- Lavender flowers: use only \u00bc cup per batch; steep for just 10\u201315\u00a0minutes (as a bitter \u2014\u00a0though\u00a0not unpleasant \u2014 flavor emerges quickly).<\/li>\n
- Lemon verbena leaves: steep 1\u20132\u00a0hours.<\/li>\n
- Star anise: steep \u00be hour.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Herbal Flavor Variations<\/i><\/b>:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nLemon Balm Custard Ice Cream<\/b><\/p>\n
Use\u00a02 cups heavy cream (grass<\/b>–<\/b><\/span>fed and organic), 1 cup milk (grass<\/b>–<\/b><\/span>fed and organic), \u00bd cup maple sugar, 2 cups finely chopped lemon-balm leaves (and flowers if available), 6 egg yolks (fresh, pasture-raised and organically fed) and<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>follow directions for Leaf & Flower Custard Ice Cream above, allowing the lemon balm to steep in the mixture for 1 hour.<\/p>\nHeavenly Spice Custard Ice Cream\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Use\u00a02 cups heavy cream (grass<\/b>–<\/b><\/span>fed and organic), 1 cup milk (grass<\/b>–<\/b><\/span>fed and organic), \u00bd cup maple syrup (dark Grade C), 6 egg yolks (fresh, pasture-raised and organically fed), and the following spices (coarsely and freshly crushed) if possible: 1\u00bd teaspoon cinnamon (preferably Ceylon), 1 teaspoon ginger, \u00be teaspoon cardamom, \u00be teaspoon coriander, \u00bd teaspoon nutmeg, 1\/8 teaspoon clove. F<\/b>ollow directions for Leaf & Flower Custard Ice Cream above. allowing the spices to steep in the mixture for 1 hour.<\/p>\nSacred Basil (Tulsi) Custard Ice Cream<\/b><\/p>\n
Use\u00a03 cups milk (grass<\/b>–<\/b><\/span>fed and organic), \u00bd cup Sucanat, 2 cups finely chopped tulsi leaves (and flowers if available), 6 egg yolks (fresh, pasture-raised and organically fed)\u00a0<\/b>and follow directions for Leaf & Flower Custard Ice Cream above, allowing the tulsi to steep in the mixture for 2 hours.<\/p>\nNote: The Edible Wild Flowers poster<\/a> and the Rose print<\/a>, above,\u00a0 are available at Botanical Arts Press’s online shop<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOne of my life’s quests has been to eat as many flowers as possible\u201d wrote Dina Falconi\u00a0in the wonderful Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook. Here\u2019s Dina\u2019s list of late summer flowers and essential advice for using flowers in your cooking and her sensational Leaf & Flower Custard Ice Cream Master Recipe.<\/p>\nRead More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":57338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2133,81,4,8363],"tags":[9899,9868,9900,5900,122,9901,9867,9600],"yoast_head":"\nEdible Flowers: Foraging & Feasting's Essential Info + Wondrous Recipes - Improvised Life<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n