I Scream, You Scream, We All Forage For Ice Cream

We’re over plain vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. This summer, we’re craving some new and original ice cream flavors! Forage for your own ingredients and create a one-of-a-kind seasonal dessert.

The following is an excerpt from The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora by Alan Bergo. It has been adapted for the web.

Spruce Tip Ice Cream

Makes 1 quart (945 ml)

One of my signature desserts, Spruce Tip Ice Cream had a cult following when it graced the dessert menu. One of my servers used to have her children pick them for me, with the promise of coming to the restaurant for a scoop fresh from the ice cream machine when it was done. It’s great all by itself, but for some variation try it on a rhubarb crisp or with a handful of warm blueberries. Adding dark chocolate chips or shavings makes a nice play on mint chocolate chip ice cream, too.

Make sure to remove the papery husks from the spruce tips

Ingredients

• 6 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups (720 ml) half-and-half
• Scant 1/2 cup (28 g) chopped fresh or frozen spruce tips, any papery husks removed
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Procedure

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, salt, and cream, then heat on medium-low, whisking occasionally to make sure the egg doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

When the mixture starts to steam and is hot to the touch, but not bubbling, remove it from the heat, whisking to help it cool until room temperature. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a blender.

Add the spruce tips and puree, working up the power settings gradually until you get to high. It takes a bit of horsepower to break down the needles, and for the best flavor you really need them finely blended.

Pass it through a fine strainer, whisk in the lime juice, and refrigerate it overnight for the best texture. Finally, place the mixture in the bowl of an ice cream maker and process. My ice cream maker usually takes about 45 minutes. When the mixture looks thick like sour cream, transfer it to the freezer.

Meadowsweet or Elderflower Semifreddo

Serves 6–8, depending on whether you use an ice cream scoop or cut the terrine into slices

Semifreddo is essentially frozen custard that doesn’t require an ice cream maker, and it is one of the very best ways to show off the flavors of meadowsweet, elderflower, and anything else you might use to flavor crème fraîche. Serve it with berries or a tart fruit sauce on the side. It will melt faster than ice cream, so I freeze my serving dishes in advance.

You can either serve cut into slices, or scoop it out like ice cream

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (4 g) dried meadowsweet or elderflower flowers, or a few handfuls fresh (it’s okay if there are a few small stems)
• 11/4 cups (300 ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (55 g) thick Greek yogurt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) water (omit if you’re using maple syrup)
• Tiny pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or
• 2 teaspoons Galium Vanilla Extract (page 190)
• A few scrapes of lemon zest, finely grated (optional)

Prodecure

Oil a loaf pan, then line it with cling film and put the pan in the freezer. Tie the meadowsweet flowers in cheesecloth. Warm the cream. Allow the cream to cool to room temperature, then add the cheesecloth-wrapped flowers and yogurt, gently stir, cover, and leave out overnight at room temperature. The next day, warm the cream mixture gently and remove the flowers, carefully squeezing any excess cream back into the mixture. Chill the cream, then whip until it holds peaks. Chill the whipped cream and reserve.

In a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks. Meanwhile, heat the sugar, water, salt, and vanilla to a rolling boil, then slowly and carefully pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a thin stream while whisking the eggs (using a container with a pouring spout makes this easier).

Be sure to add the hot syrup slowly, or you’ll risk cooking the egg yolks. When all the syrup has been added, continue whisking until the yolk mixture reaches room temperature, about 5 to 10 minutes. It will lighten in color and triple in volume.

Mix in the whipped cream and the zest, then pour the mixture into the loaf pan and freeze until set, about 4 to 6 hours, or overnight. To serve, unmold the semifreddo and cut into slices, or scoop it out like ice cream, serving quickly in frozen dishes to avoid melting.

Recommended Reads

Koji for a Touch of Sweetness: Koji Sorbet

Dairy-Free Ice Cream Recipes: Almost Too Sweet to Be True