Featured Recipe
Lavender Wild Blueberry Ice Cream
By Kate
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A floral and fruity frozen dessert made by infusing cream and milk with dried lavender buds. Sweetened with agave syrup instead of honey for a subtler flavor, and thickened using arrowroot powder, offering a light texture. Wild blueberry preserves swirl through after churning, creating a marbled effect. This ice cream balances floral notes with bright berry sweetness. Chilled thoroughly before spinning is key to good texture. Lavender strained precisely prevents overpowering bitterness. Cooling on a plastic wrap surface avoids a skin forming. Freezes firm in one hour, softens in room temp letting flavors meld.
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Prep:
20 min
Cook:
30 min
Total:
50 min
Serves:
6 servings
dessert
frozen
summer
lavender
blueberry
Introduction
Ice cream built on foundation. Cream and milk boiled, lavender steeped just so–nothing harsh or bitter. Old-school tempering eggs; no shortcuts. Arrowroot, not cornstarch. Reason? Cleaner mouthfeel, better freeze-thaw stability. Agave brings sweetness, honey replaced to cut floral clash. Wild blueberry preserves swirl last-minute, adds jewel-like color, flavor bursts. Cooling is not rushed; chill deep, firm before spinning. Attention to textures at each stage: thick custard, soft but stable final product. Tips: strain lavender right, never steep too long or risk grassy undertones. Plastic wrap on surface fights skin, keeps custard pure. Churning time varies, watch for fluffy consistency, don’t overdo. Simple, bold, respectful of ingredients.
Ingredients
About the ingredients
Cream and whole milk with at least 35% fat give that rich mouthfeel—skimp here, ice cream turns icy and dull. Dried lavender flowers are key, fresh can be too pungent; if unavailable, substitute with 10 ml dried chamomile for mild floral note. Agave syrup substitutes honey; use if honey’s too strong or you want cleaner taste. Arrowroot powder replaces cornstarch for better clarity and texture, though cornstarch can work in a pinch—use half quantity. Wild blueberry preserves bring texture, sweetness and natural color—can swap with raspberry jam or black currant preserves depending on the season. Fresh blueberries can’t substitute well here due to freezing and texture issues. Avoid artificial flavors; flower bitterness comes from over-extracting, not the herb itself.
Method
Technique Tips
Know your timing by texture, not clock. When heating cream and milk, just at boil, bubbles starting to pop–stop. Steeping lavender too long turns custard bitter–watch smell and color. Whisk yolks and thickener off heat to prevent cooking eggs prematurely. Adding cream mixture slowly tempers the yolks to avoid scrambled bits. Cook custard over medium-low; whisk constantly; scrape bottom and sides to prevent lumps and burning. Thick custard, coats spoon, clear trail when finger rubbed: done. Pour into bowl fast, plastic wrap pressed directly avoids pellicle. Chill long—they deepen flavor and improve consistency. Churn chilled base only; lukewarm base makes texture worse. Swirl preserves in as final step to keep flavor distinct, avoid fully mixing or color dulls. After freezing, softening a few minutes helps scoop and mouthfeel.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Monitor cream and milk. Heat until just bubbling. Not boiling. Smell changes subtly; perfect signal. Stir right after adding lavender—feel the warmth. Steeping too long? That bitterness. Just 7 minutes.
- 💡 Use old-school techniques. Whisk yolks with agave and arrowroot off heat. Cream mixture should drizzle in gradually. This tempers and avoids scrambled bits. If it starts curdling, panic now. Recheck heat.
- 💡 Should thicken to coat spoon. This should take around 20 minutes. Watch closely. Constant stirring avoids lumps. Spoon should leave a clear trail. Quick check, run your finger through custard.
- 💡 Chill for 3 hours minimum. Flavors deepen overnight. Stash in fridge, covered tightly. Don’t rush it; uninterrupted cooling improves texture. Skipping this step? Bad idea.
- 💡 When churning, you're looking for fluff. Churn until thick enough to hold swirl from blueberry preserves. After about 25 minutes, check texture before stopping. Overchurning? Yikes. Grainy ice cream.
