Red White and Blue Lavender Ice Cream

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Puddle of Love

I get ahead of myself.  Come Memorial Day, I think about the Fourth of July like it’s Christmas.  Try to make sense of that.  I’ve always said the Fourth is my favorite holiday- good weather, outdoor activities, no pressure to buy gifts, and explosives.  Oh, and food. Food made in the summer is supposed to be unpretentious with no real demand.  I’m thinking marinades, deviled eggs, and homemade lavender ice cream.  Ice cream?

My Dad prepared homemade ice cream each year on the star-spangled holiday, and it took, like, hours.   The ice cream maker would sit on the porch stoop and hum beautifully while spinning diligently, lest a glacier form. Then the beautiful churning hum occasionally turned to a sad grunt, and so the machine was surely kicked by someone (my Dad) until the salty ice fell back into place.  All in all, homemade ice cream felt like a half-day journey, but it was still worth it.  We prepped the same vanilla recipe every year since perfection holds its own.  You know the old saying- a watched ice cream maker never freezes.  Because of my impatience, I usually opened the metal container before the mixture was truly ready (frozen). The cold vanilla slush was still awesome.

Fast forward.  Ice cream makers are, of course, a different animal these days.  My Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, and Sorbet maker churns out the good stuff in about 20 minutes: Try the Red, White, and Blue Lavender ice cream this Fourth. It’s light in texture so the strawberry flavor is all the more prominent.  The lavender sits in the background, waiting for you to notice.

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Recipe by This Lovely KitchenCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium
Servings

6

servings

Puddle of Love

Ingredients

  • fresh strawberries, hulled – 2 1/2 cups

  • whole milk – 3/4 cup

  • granulated sugar – 2/3 cup

  • salt – Pinch of

  • heavy cream – 1 1/2 cups

  • fresh lavender (or 1/4 cup dried lavender) – 1/2 cup

  • whole blueberries – 1 cup

  • pure vanilla extract – 1 1/2 teaspoons

Directions

  • Pulse strawberries in a food processor until finely chopped.  Set aside in bowl.
  • In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and lavender.
  • Add cream mixture to a saucepan over medium heat.  Heat until mixture becomes warm and begins to bubble around the edges.
  • Remove from heat, add in vanilla extract, and let the mixture rest at room temperature for
    15-20 minutes to allow the lavender to seep.
  • Strain mixture through a fine, mesh sieve and discard the lavender.  Add mixture to a bowl.
  • Stir in reserved strawberries with all juices to mixture. Add blueberries.
    Cover and chill for 1-2 hours, or overnight.
  • Pour mixture into freezer bowl of ice cream maker.  Follow manufacturer directions to
    prepare ice cream.