I decided to grow lemon verbena in my garden this year. I am thrilled with the beauty of the herb and the richness of the lemony taste. It is now producing like crazy and I am experimenting with recipes for it. Here is one that is exceptional! It is based on the homemade ice cream that we used to have when I was a little girl growing up in Georgia. My grandmother did not cook the base, and she did not use eggs in her ice cream. It is simply milk and sugar-based – and delicious!
Ingredients
1 cup cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup lemon verbena leaves (packed)
You will also need:
Small pot with lid
Slotted spoon
Ice cream maker (I use one with a compressor in it, but you can use just about any kind.)
Instructions
Infuse the cream with the lemon verbena by heating the half-n-half until it is almost boiling. Turn the heat off and add the lemon verbena leaves. Cover and let sit for about 20 minutes to let the flavor from the lemon verbena infuse into the half-n-half.
Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon. Add the sugar to the cream and stir well. Add the milk and stir again. Put the lid back on the pot and place it into the refrigerator for about an hour to fully cool.
Remove the milk mixture from the refrigerator and pour into the container of your ice cream maker. Freeze according to the manufacturers instructions. Note: If you are using an ice cream maker that requires the container to be frozen before you make the ice cream, then be sure that you followed that step.
Makes 1 pint of soft-serve ice cream. Enjoy!