Backyard Mint Ice Cream

National Ice Cream Month is almost over and I've got a new flavor for you today. Mint ice cream literally from your own backyard! Does it get any better?

This recipe comes from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home and is amazing. Her method is unique in that she doesn't use eggs as a thickener, rather cornstarch and a little cream cheese. I think that worked perfectly here because it kept the ice cream nice and minty white in color and didn't give off an eggy flavor for the base. It also kept it nice and smooth, rather than icy, which often results when there's not enough fat. Another thing I love is that this ice cream is infused with fresh mint leaves, rather than an extract so there's no funky aftertaste from fake ingredients.

When my mom brought me a bunch of mint from her garden I was so excited I finally got to try this ice cream. I made a double batch and have probably eaten most of it myself!

So, whether you have to step out the back porch, run to the farmer's market, or just the regular marker, make sure you save some mint (and some room in your belly) for this delicious frozen treat!

Backyard Mint Ice Cream
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 Tbsp.) cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
2 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
large handful of fresh mint, leaves roughly torn into small pieces.

Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.

Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. If you have trouble whisking the cream cheese, microwave it for 5-10 seconds to soften it a bit more.

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Make sure not to pour too fast, if you add it all at once, it will be lumpy and it will be very difficult to get them out. Add the mint. Pour the mixture into a large container with tight-fitting lid, or a gallon size ziploc bag.

Refrigerate to steep for 4 to 12 hours.

Strain out the mint. Pour the ice cream base into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.

Pack the ice cream into a freezer-safe storage container, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest park of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours. Enjoy!


SOURCE: Jenni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home