This ice cream is my obsession. It’s subtle, sweet, floral, rich, and creamy—with an undeniable earthiness from the rose geranium. I’m in love. Don’t ever make it stop.
The idea was born on a trip to Ojai, a tiny town nestled in the hills of Southern California. Visiting my friend and genius chef Sarasai Yutuc, we left bedecked with laurels of rose geranium, rosemary, and orange leaves in our hair. Ok, maybe not laurels in our hair, but she did pick us beautiful bagfuls of rose geranium, pressing them into our hands with these wise words: “Make rose geranium ice cream.”
I’d never made ice cream before, but I was intrigued. Enthralled. I wanted the rose geranium ice cream to be ours. I went home and immediately a) borrowed a friend’s ice cream maker, and b) started combing the internet for ice cream recipes that used herbal infusions in their base. Many thanks to a lovely recipe for fresh mint ice cream from Sift & Whisk, which I modified for this one.
It’s very easy to make, although you do have to let the ice cream base steep in the fridge for a few hours (or a couple days, like I did, to really get its steep on).
Enjoy!
HONEY ROSE GERANIUM ICE CREAM
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla bean
- 1.5 cups washed rose geranium leaves
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp grated beet root for color
- 2 tbsp vodka (the vodka keeps the ice cream scoopable even in the freezer)
Instructions
-
Heat 3 cups heavy cream, 1 cup milk, and ½ cup honey on the stove, whisking until small bubbles form. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla bean, and 1.5 cups washed rose geranium leaves, massaged so the leaves release their oils. Cover the pot and let steep for a half hour, then transfer to an airtight container and let steep for another 2-24 hours (the longer you steep, the stronger the flavor) while in the fridge.
-
Place 1 tbsp of grated beet root into a small bowl and pour in a bit of water. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until the water turns a deep magenta. Strain out the beets and set juice aside.
-
When you’re ready to make the ice cream, strain out the rose geranium and vanilla bean (if you used one) and whisk in 2 egg yolks, 2 tbsp of vodka, and a teaspoon or more of beet juice for color. Freeze in ice cream maker until the consistency is smooth and thick, then transfer to an air tight container and put in the freezer for a couple of hours.