Strawberry-Basil Ice Cream: Because You're Tired of Making Pesto

Clearly, I am a woman possessed. Or bored. Or one with too much cream, strawberries, and basil on her hands.

Using the same techniques I used for the Rhubarb-Rosemary Ice Cream, I threw together this batch of deliciousness with my last remaining strawberries and a big handful of basil.  I'm pretty sure this is what summer tastes like.

Strawberry-Basil Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 cups or so strawberries, sliced

1 c. sugar (divided--3/4 and 1/4)

1 c. water

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1 1/2 c. whole milk

10-12 basil leaves

2 tbls. corn starch

2 tbls. cream cheese

1. Combine strawberries, 3/4 c. sugar, and water in a saucepan. Cook on medium-high heat until strawberries are soft, and a syrup is starting to form, skimming off foam. (About 5 minutes.) Puree mix in blender/food processor.  Place strawberry puree in fridge, stirring occasionally until cool--about two hours. (This time around, I popped it in the freezer and stirred occasionally, cutting the cooling time down to about 30 minutes.)

2. In a small dish, whisk together the corn starch and 2 tbls. of the milk. In a saucepan, combine the cream, remaining milk, and basil leaves. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 5 minutes, before turning off the heat and allowing thebasil to steep. The longer you do this, the more intense the flavor...I ended up letting it sit for about half an hour.

3. Bring the milk/cream mixture back up to a simmer, add the remaining 1/4 c. of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Remove the basil leaves and whisk in the corn starch slurry (it will thicken pretty quickly...don't stop whisking!), remove from heat, and add the cream cheese, stirring until it is melted through.

4. Reserve 1 cup of the strawberry puree for later use, whisk the remaining puree into the cream, then place in the fridge to cool for several hours/overnight.

5. Pour into your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.

6. Once churned, pour soft serve into a container and freeze for several hours. Spoon into bowls, top with some of the reserved puree and share with your friends!