My mother always grew sorrel in her garden — a soft leafy green with a lemony, tart flavor. We most often used it simply, folded into salads or tucked beneath a roast chicken, where it wilted gently and scented the kitchen.
I often turn to vegetables when I’m dreaming up dessert, especially when I want something a little unexpected. Nettle ice cream remains my favorite. Sorrel followed naturally — a flavor that settles easily into something sweet. This is a gardener’s ice cream: creamy and softly green, citrusy and herbal, with a gentle tang from buttermilk. It feels gathered from the garden, wild and untamed.
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Sorrel Buttermilk Ice Cream
Ingredients
5 large egg yolks
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (360ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
2 cups (about 3 oz) fresh sorrel
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks and half the sugar. Set aside.
- In a saucepan combine the cream, milk and the rest of the sugar and warm over medium high heat. When the cream comes up to a bare simmer lower to medium.
- Scoop about 1/2 cup off the hot cream, whisking the eggs constantly add the cream to the bowl. Whisking the yolks add another 1/2 cup of the hot cream to the bowl to yolks. Using a spatula pour the egg mixture into the pot.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, 170 degrees.
- Strain the base through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Set the bowl over an ice bath and stir with a clean spatula until cool.
- Remove from the ice bath, cover and transfer to the fridge for a few hours, preferably overnight.
- Add the sorrel and buttermilk to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Strain the sorrel mixture into the chilled cream base along with the vanilla extract.
- Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the directions. Transfer to a container and freeze for a few hours to firm up.
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