This ice cream is extremely easy to make with only a few ingredients. I used culinary lavender to season some heavy cream, and mixed it with some sweetened condensed milk. That's it! It's eggless, easy to make and fluffy like a cloud.
Ice cream and frozen sweets are my dessert of choice, but sometimes making ice cream at home can cost the same amount of money, and way more time, than just buying the pint. So, that’s why I’m trying to make creative ice cream flavors at home that you can’t typically find at the store! And guess what?! They may *seem* exotic, but they’re extremely easy to whip up (pun intended.) This lavender ice cream is extremely easy and I promise, even if you mess up the whipping technique and get some ice crystals (which you can call semifreddo to be fancy,) it will still taste magnificent! I’m saying this from experience, since I messed this recipe up a few times. :’)
Speaking of which, I made a full video tutorial on YouTube so you can follow along and see what each step should look like. I think that recipes can be as detailed as possible, but if you’re like me, you probably second guess if you’re doing it correctly. Sooooo, that’s why I started doing video tutorials (especially for desserts.)
If you’re wondering: why lavender? Will this taste like soap? I’m glad you asked. First of all, this ice cream will not taste like that all-natural lotion bar from Lush that I know you’ve secretly tasted in the shower. Lavender is a flower, so of course this is going to have a floral element to it. But keep in mind, a lot of spices that have strong floral aromas are used in sweets! I’ve seen thyme, tarragon, fennel, mint and basil on dessert menus at restaurants. And of course, I’ve seen lavender as well. Ok, now that we’ve established that you shouldn’t be scared of this flavor, let’s talk about the taste of it. Lavender ice cream does not taste like soap. Instead, in my opinion, it tastes like a floral cotton candy ice cream (sans the chemicals, thank God!) Lavender contains notes similar to mint (without the cooling factor,) rosemary and even some sweetness (or what smells like a nectar or honey to me.) In my opinion, lavender ice cream is what I imagine clouds would taste like. It’s light, floral, airy, sweet, herbal, creamy and dreamy, might I add.
This is a no-churn ice cream, so we’re relying on our great friends heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and *air* to do the job. Yes, air! Air is actually a super important ingredient for any and all ice creams, whether you use a traditional custard base and churn, or if you’re doing an eggless no-churn recipe like me. The method of this recipe is extremely important and you need to follow it to a T in order to make sure there are no ice crystals. The great news is that the method is very easy, so I am confident and believe in you! If you do happen to mess it up and your ice cream has ice crystals, you can just tell your friends (or yourself) its a semifreddo and I promise it will still taste fantastic.
Purple gel food coloringto taste, can sub for regular food coloring but use sparingly since it's a liquid
2 1/2cupheavy creamvery cold, for whipping (store in the fridge until the instructions to whip the cream)
Equipment
mixer, standing mixer, blender or whisk for whipping the cream
aluminum cake pan
9 x 5 inch loaf pan, or another pan to store ice cream in
Directions
Place an aluminum cake pan into the freezer and let it chill while you proceed with the next steps.
Heat a sauce pan over low heat. Add the 2/3 cup of heavy cream to the sauce pan, then pour the lavender into the cream and let it steep for 7-10 minutes. Do not cover the pan and make sure the heat is not too high. You do not want the mixture to bubble! You just want the lavender to steep. Mix every 2-3 minutes. NOTE It's going to taste very strong, but don't worry, this cream is going to flavor the entire ice cream and the flavor will dilute as you mix it with the rest of the ingredients.
While the lavender steeps, pour the sweetened condensed milk into the mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract, salt, and a generous amount of purple gel food coloring, if using. Set aside.
When the lavender is done steeping, strain the buds out with a mesh strainer and pour the flavored cream onto the chilled aluminum pan. Place the aluminum pan in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, or until the newly infused cream is cold. You want to make sure its cold before you proceed to the next steps.
Once the lavender cream is cold, take it out of the freezer. Pour the 2 1/2 cups of cold heavy cream into a new mixing bowl and add the infused lavender cream. Beat the cream with a hand mixer on high, until firm peaks form.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream mixture and lightly fold in, until fully incorporated. If the color is too light for you, feel free to add some more gel food coloring and fold in gently.
Cover with cling wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours. It's best when chilled overnight! Store in the freezer for up to a month. Also, when storing, place in the back of the freezer to make sure its in the coldest part. Enjoy!
Dinner Party Menu
First on the menu is an outstanding pumpkin risotto with stracciatella, crispy sage, and shiitakes. Paired with it is a maple dijon pork tenderloin (or chicken thighs). For dessert, enjoy an apple cider bread pudding with creme anglaise and caramel.
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It is up! I apologize, my old recipes did not come over with my new designed site and i had a few glitches. Thanks for flagging!