Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (240 ml) Fresh Whole Milk
  • 2 cups (480 ml) Heavy Cream (Minimum 35% fat content)
  • ¾ cup (150 g) Granulated Sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon (1 g) Fine Sea Salt
  • 2 cups (Approx. 50 g) Fresh Mint Leaves, packed (spearmint or peppermint)
  • 6 large Large Egg Yolks
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) Vanilla Extract (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Clear Vodka or Gin (optional, to prevent hard freezing)
  • A tiny drop Green Gel Food Colouring (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Combine Dairy & Mint: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, and packed fresh mint leaves.
  2. Heat Gently: Heat the mixture over medium-low heat until steam is rising and small bubbles form around the edge (do not boil). Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
  3. Steep: Remove the pan from the heat. Cover, and allow the mint to steep for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the dairy is fragrant and cool enough to handle.
  4. Prepare Yolks: While the dairy is steeping, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together in a bowl until pale yellow and slightly thickened (the ribbon stage).
  5. Reheat Dairy: Strain the mint leaves from the dairy mixture using a fine-mesh sieve, pressing gently on the leaves to extract all the liquid. Discard the leaves. Return the strained dairy to the saucepan and heat until warm again (just below simmering).
  6. Temper the Eggs: Slowly pour about 1 cup (240ml) of the warm dairy into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly. This slowly raises the temperature of the yolks.
  7. Combine: Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining warm dairy.
  8. Thicken: Cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 175°F / 80°C). Do not boil.
  9. Chill Rapidly: Immediately pour the custard through the fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl set over an ice bath. Stir briefly to cool it down quickly, stopping the cooking process.
  10. Add Extras: Once cooled slightly, stir in the vanilla extract, the optional tablespoon of alcohol (vodka/gin), and the tiny amount of green food colouring (if using).
  11. Deep Chill: Cover the custard bowl tightly with cling film, pressing the film directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. The base must be fridge-cold (40°F / 4°C or below) before churning.
  12. Churn and Ripen: Pour the chilled base into your ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions until it reaches the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Transfer to a chilled, airtight freezer container and freeze for at least 3 hours until firm and scoopable.