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Rose Basil Ice Cream with Strawberry Sauce

ROSE BASIL ICE CREAM WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Eggless Rose Basil Ice Cream with Strawberry Sauce is my Valentine creation using ingredients that signify Valentines viz, Roses and Strawberries! Mixing them into an ice cream is like an artist trying to combine colors and make a painting. Many a times I open the refrigerator and wonder what to make akin to an artist staring at the color pallet! With organic italian basil growing in my kitchen, and an Indian lunch celebration happening on the Valentine Day, I was trying to  find the right flavour for the occasion! And on noticing the rose essence in the refrigerator, suddenly all ideas started firing in my head! So the creative process started with basil leaves steeped in whole milk and left to flavour overnight. Next day I mixed in the heavy cream and rose essence and sugar to churn in. Half way through churning, just thought why not throw in some fresh basil leaves for some depth! As raw fresh basil is so refreshing in the mouth, and by using this I would create a distant cousin of the Pan Ice cream, another Indian Ice cream flavour that is quite unique!

Once the ice cream was done, the lovely strawberry red valentine look was needed! The thick red sauce on top of white ice cream just looked so very appealing. And to keep the ice cream flavour and strawberry sauce flavour in sync, decided to give hint of cardamom in the strawberry sauce also  while it was  being cooked. Just loved watching the warm red color of the strawberry sauce.

After that, the hard time was waiting for the ice cream to chill for 30 hours, and wish I could chill longer but did not plan this well ahead in time so had to do with less  chill time.  The following day, I was quite curious and excited to see the whole combination come alive! And the fresh basil leaves and strawberry slice and strawberry sauce atop the fragrant rose ice cream was just visually breathtaking, especially when served in a darker bowl.

The taste was very delicious, with the sweetness of rose, a reminder of the love in the air, and a hint of cardamom, reminding of the fragrant spices from India, and fused with the crunch of  fresh basil leaves! How can one not notice the heart of love through the slice of strawberry!! A happy valentine I was with this creation and it truly was quite unique, yum and simply overflowing with love and fragrance . Rose Basil Ice Cream with Strawberry Sauce will surely melt the heart of your loved one, especially if this is your valentine treat!

 

Rose Basil Ice cream with Strawberry Sauce

Recipe Makes `1 quart of ice cream

Prep Time  1
Cooking Time 25 min
Chilling time- 24 -30 hours

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cup heavy cream chilled
  • 1 cup whole milk chilled
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp rose essence
  • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1/3 cup  basil leaves chopped
  • 8 -10 basil leaves for mix in
  • 8-10 basil leaves for garnishing
  • 6-7 strawberries cut into halves for garnishing

For the Strawberry Sauce

  • 1 quart fresh strawberries diced

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  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 5-6 drops of lemon
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom powder

Method

For the Ice Cream

 

  • Heat the milk, sugar, 1/3 cup basil leaves and cardamom powder, till sugar dissolves for about 7 min.
  • IMG_5947Blend the chilled mix so that the leaves get finely chopped.

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  • Leave it to chill overnight in the refrigerator.
  • Add heavy cream, chilled milk and rose essence in the ice cream mix.
  • Add in chopped 8-10 fresh leaves after 15  min of churning.
  • Beat the ice cream for 25-30 min, till done

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  • Remove the ice cream into a freezing container and freeze for  minimum 24 hours  but ideally 48 hours.

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For the Strawberry Sauce

  • In a broad pan, mix the strawberry, water, sugar and cardamon.

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  • Heat for about 15 min on medium flame, stirring once in awhile, till the gravy thickens.

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  • Let it cool and chill for 24 hours. The sauce with thicken with chilling.

Rose Basil Ice cream with Strawberry Sauce

Serving the Ice Cream

  • In a bowl scoop the ice cream, top it with a spoon of strawberry sauce and garnish it with some fresh basil leaves and  sliced strawberries.

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Tips

If the milk is not that chilled or the container is not chilled well and long enough( at least 48 hours prior to making ice cream) the texture will not be firm.

If you  strongly like cardamom flavour, double the quantity of cardamom requirement in the ice cream.

Rose essence has a strong smell, so ensure that the quantity is correct

Instinct Factor

I did not rely on my instinct to use a cooler to carry this ice cream for a party, and hence the texture of the ice cream did not remain firm when it was served. Also since the chilling time was less than 48 hours, the ice cream was a little soft  then I would have liked. So planning your time well for chilling is essential.

Feel Factor

A Valentine creation, inspired from the rose of the valentine, and the quintessential strawberries of valentine! Happy to see the output so colorful, refreshing and unique in taste and presentation. The rose flavour is accentuated and the fresh leaves in the ice cream give a nice texture with just a hint of cardamom flavour. The fresh whole basil leaves and strawberry slice adds further depth to this rich Rose Basil Ice Cream with Strawberry Sauce!!