Basil Blueberry Swirl Gelato
I have never been tempted by desserts with savory components. Somehow they always seemed wrong to me, so when I developed a craving for basil gelato I was surprised. Maybe it started with gorgeous peaches. Bart brought home a dozen of the most fragrant and perfectly ripe pieces of fruit I have seen all summer. My first thought was to slice the peaches, toss them in basil simple syrup and keep life easy. Then I remembered the blueberries in the refrigerator. Next, my eye drifted to my ice cream maker, and I was all in for this one.
The basil gelato base is lightly flavored, a lovely match for the blueberry swirl. Use more basil if you must, up to 50% more, but be careful, tasting occasionally after 15 minutes to be certain the infusion does not take on a bitter edge. I was concerned that the blueberry swirl might not have the body, taste-wise, to stand up to the basil, so I added some Mandorla grappa. The bitter almond and dark cherry taste of the grappa did the trick, brightening the blueberry flavor and bringing it into tight focus. This gelato is wonderful by itself, right out of the container, but served with fresh or poached yellow peaches or nectarines, or even berries, it is a very special summertime treat indeed.
Basil-Blueberry Swirl Gelato
Makes about 1 quart
After a few hours in the freezer, this takes on the perfect consistency, but after a longer freeze will be quite firm. If you find the gelato too firm to scoop, just leave it at room temperature for a few minutes. It will soften beautifully.
2 cups whole milk
¾ cup heavy cream
½ cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
20 basil leaves, coarsely chopped
Pinch of kosher salt
1 ¼ cup blueberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 teaspoons Nardini Mandorla Grappa
Peaches, nectarines or fresh berries to serve alongside
basil leaves for garnish
Make the basil gelato:
In a medium saucepan combine milk, cream, granulated sugar, basil, and kosher salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat, cover pan and set aside to steep for twenty minutes. Strain the mixture, and return it to the pan, reheating briefly. Discard the basil.
While the mixture is heating, separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a medium heat-proof bowl, reserving the whites for another use. Whisk the egg yolks until slightly lightened. Slowly dribble half of the hot milk mixture into the beaten yolks, whisking all the while. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat. Use a silicone spatula to stir and scrape the bottom and sides of the saucepan until the mixture coats the back of the spatula, or reaches 180 degrees F. Do not boil.
Place a strainer over a medium stainless steel bowl and pour the mixture through. Set the bowl containing the gelato base over a second, larger bowl half-full of ice water to cool. Stir occasionally, being careful that no water seeps into the gelato base, until the mixture is cool. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight to chill thoroughly.
Make the Blueberry Swirl:
Place the blueberries, granulated sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low to medium heat, crushing the berries as they soften and stirring often to prevent sticking and scorching. Cook until a silicone spatula leaves a broad trail when drawn across the bottom of the pan and mixture forms a thick sauce, about 12 to 15 minutes. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Use a spatula to press the mixture through the strainer, leaving the seeds and skins behind. Use a clean spatula to scrape the mixture that clings to the underside of the strainer into the bowl. This should yield about ¼ cup of puree. Discard seeds and skins. Add grappa to the puree, and stir to combine. Refrigerate until cold.
Make the gelato:
Pour the chilled base mixture into an ice cream/gelato maker and process according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Add the swirl:
When gelato has finished churning, Remove the cannister from the machine and transfer one half of the gelato to a chilled storage container, smoothing the top slightly. Pour one half of the blueberry mixture atop gelato and swirl or fold gently using just a few strokes, lifting and swirling the blueberry mixture. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Stir as little as possible to retain rivulets of blueberry. Smooth the surface of the gelato. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly atop the gelato, and transfer to the freezer 4 to 6 hours to harden and cure.
Food Nerd Notes: To those of you who are wondering, yes, I finally got my fancy ice cream maker. I love it. Come on over.
Further reading:
Gelato!: Italian Ice Creams, Sorbetti, and Granite
by Pamela Sheldon Johns
Paperback: 112 pages
Publisher: Ten Speed Press (May 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580089232
ISBN-13: 978-1580089234
The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments
by David Lebovitz
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Ten Speed Press (May 4, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 158008219X
ISBN-13: 978-158008219
The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto: Bold, Fresh Flavors to Make at Home
Publisher: Clarkson Potter (May 11, 2010)
Hardcover: 176 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307464989
ISBN-13: 978-0307464989
Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones:
90 Recipes for Making Your Own Ice Cream and Frozen Treats from Bi-Rite Creamery
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Ten Speed Press (April 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1607741849
ISBN-13: 978-1607741848
Making Artisan Gelato:
45 Recipes and Techniques for Crafting Flavor-Infused Gelato and Sorbet at Home
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Quarry Books (January 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 159253418X
ISBN-13: 978-1592534180
A Passion for Ice Cream:
95 Recipes for Fabulous Desserts
by Emily Luchetti
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition (April 27, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0811846024
ISBN-13: 978-0811846028
Note: You can click on any picture to see a slide show!
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Tuesday, August 13th 2013 at 11:02 pm |
cara Adri, non ho la gelatiera ma guardando le tue foto e lo splendido gelato che hai fatto mi hai messo una Voglia Matta di comperarla! Buona giornata, un abbraccio !
Tuesday, August 13th 2013 at 11:35 pm |
Grazie Chiara,
Adoro questa gelateria!
Tuesday, August 13th 2013 at 11:50 pm |
Dear Adri, I for one like a certain touch of savoriness in some of my desserts – I have tasted a basil gelato once before and loved it – but never got around to making one – so I just know that your basil blueberry creation tasted just amazing. If only I had such a fancy ice cream maker as you do, well, for now my old one will have to do because you are the inspiration that I needed to finally get to it and make that gelato. Since we will be going blueberry picking on the weekend, this will be the perfect recipe to try on Sunday. It looks delicious, Adri – love all your creations!
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 6:41 am |
Thanks, Andrea!
I hope you enjoy this. For some reason the herbs in dessert craze passed me by. I remember years ago when people began putting thyme in desserts. I could not wrap my head around it, but somehow the other day, I got the idea of basil gelato going, and I was on my way.
I bet any ice cream maker will do just fine. So pick some berries and grab some basil. You are going to love this.
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 12:16 am |
This is a tasty recipe to try. We love gelato, especially homemade gelato. I have to try with the addition of basil, it sounds delicious! Un abbraccio
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 6:42 am |
Ciao Paola,
I hope you give this a try. We loved it!
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 4:17 am |
Lovely! I can see how the basil would work in this gelato. And, what a fancy ice cream maker!!
Best,
Bonnie
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 6:43 am |
Hi Bonnie,
Thanks!
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 6:00 am |
Delicious! I love the flavor of basil, so I think I’d adore this gelato. And how gorgeous is that color?!
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 6:43 am |
Hi Amy,
I hope you try this; it is delicious and refreshing, not heavy at all.
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 7:26 am |
Adri, Your recipe might just be the one to put me over the edge to buy an icecream maker. Each year I say I’m going to buy one, this year I even had one in my cart, walked around for a while in the store, then took it out. My fear, I will be come too addicted! I’m going to break down and do it this sounds too good, and besides I have to use up my basil, right?
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 7:32 am |
Hi Marie,
I have debated literally for years about making this purchase. So I can completely relate. And yes, you do need to use that gorgeous basil…
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 8:20 am |
Adri this sounds just to delicious
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 8:42 am |
Hi Anthony,
I bet you would love this. It’s not too sweet, and super refreshing.
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 11:37 am |
This is fantastic! I really adore a very slight hint of basil with quite a lot of fruity dishes. (And of course I like the DT bowl!) Double yum!
Wednesday, August 14th 2013 at 3:07 pm |
Hi Trevor,
I’m glad you like it, and of course I thought of you when I decided to use the DT.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 at 2:55 am |
Tremendous! I don’t know about the basil (although I have heard that it is fabulous in sweets and have actually eaten amazing basil granità) but the blueberry gelato and the blueberry sorbet I saw on Facebook both look amazing! I only have one of those hand-crank machines and dream of the fancy schmancy electric ice cream machine. When I do I’ll come back here and try this… and use your great and concise list of ice cream, gelato and sorbet cookbooks!
Thursday, August 15th 2013 at 7:12 am |
Hi Jamie,
Thank you! Until I made this I was with you about basil in sweets; I never liked the idea, and would not even try it. This one was a revelation, as they say. The cool cream texture is a perfect match for the basil, especially when you add the blueberry.
I have wanted one of these machines for years, probably close to thirty. It is amazing, and makes the process very simple. As for the list of books, I have all of them and more. The two I look to most often are Pamela Sheldon Johns Gelato! and David Lebovitz’ The Perfect Scoop. For anyone serious about this process, I’d recommend purchasing both. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy these when you get to them.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 at 5:40 am |
This looks incredible! We don’t have an ice cream maker because it would be a WMD in my house…however, this recipe might just push me over the edge to buy one…
Thursday, August 15th 2013 at 7:14 am |
Hi Laney,
Take the plunge. You’ll be glad you did. I just love this machine. I am still learning how to use it, and there will be gallons more of this before I feel real confident, but ah, what delicious experimentation!
Thursday, August 15th 2013 at 10:12 am |
I too, am leery of using savory herbs in desserts, but you have me sold after reading this post and seeing those photos. By the way, I love the gold-rimmed compote glasses you feature here. They’re beautiful.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 at 7:36 pm |
Ciao Linda,
Try this – it totally changed my mind, about basil in desserts, frozen ones at least. The Gold Band compotes are by glass designer, Dorothy Thorpe, a California native. Her glassware was a must for every chic LA and Hollywood hostess during the fifties and sixties. She did glassware with gold and sterling silver bands and also made glorious sandblasted bowls, mirrors, ashtrays and vases. Her Silver Band glassware is perhaps her most famous creation. We had it at home, along with white china decorated in silver (the dinner plates sported an inlaid stylized silver “C” along the left border that ran from about 7:00 to 11:00, and the coffee cups were lined entirely with silver.) To this day when Thanksgiving rolls around, the first thing I think of is cleaning every piece of it for the big dinner, serving pieces, cake plates and all. There were water glasses, wine glasses, champagne saucers, martini glasses, roly polys, rocks and highball glasses along with iced compotes. All set out on the bar and table, it was a sight to behold. For years it was the province of collectors, but Mad Men created a wild resurgence in Dorothy Thorpe Silver Band. Although I do not watch the show, I am told that in his office Don Draper mixed his drinks in a Dorothy Thorpe pitcher and cradled a roly poly in his hand as he ruled Madison Avenue.
Thursday, August 15th 2013 at 4:53 pm |
Oooo…blueberry & basil, now that sounds like a match in heaven! This truly looks divine and something that I would definitely enjoy. It’s the perfect summer dessert 🙂
Thursday, August 15th 2013 at 7:41 pm |
Ciao Emilie,
I’m glad it looks good to you. The recipe just came to me as I stood in my kitchen… divine inspiration, I guess. Enjoy!
Friday, August 16th 2013 at 11:35 am |
The only “savory” element that makes me nervous with ice cream is liver… GREG
Friday, August 16th 2013 at 3:25 pm |
Hi Greg,
Liver! Oh no! And I thought garlic ice cream was the worst thing out there. Thanks for the enlightenment.
Saturday, October 12th 2013 at 4:35 am |
This is my first time I visit here. I found so many entertaining stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. From the tons of comments on your articles, I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here! Keep up the good work.
Saturday, October 12th 2013 at 6:20 pm |
Benvenuto and thank you for stopping by! I am so glad you have enjoyed what you have seen, and I hope you return often. Alla prossima!