Lemon juice and peel and two lemon-flavored herbs combine in this cool, light, and lemony ice cream, which is neither too sweet nor too tart. I like to serve it in hollowed-out lemons topped with fresh lemon balm sprigs. (For zest use a potato peeler to remove only the yellow portion of the lemon peel, leaving the bitter white layer behind.)
- Zest of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup hard-packed lemon verbena leaves
- ¼ cup hard-packed lemon balm leaves
- 1 batch French Vanilla Ice Cream made with only ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped lemon balm leaves
- Stir the lemon peel, lemon juice and hard-packed lemon herbs into the hot ice-cream base. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Strain the mixture and add the chopped lemon balm leaves for color. Pour the mixture into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Theresa Loe is an aerospace engineer, freelance writer and lecturer who tends her herb garden in a small Southern California coastal community. Her book, The Herbal Home Companion, is due out from Kensington, Inc., this fall.
Click here for the original article, Ice Cream Surprise.
