Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Anise Hyssop Ice Cream

This blog post is dedicated to my sweet friend Roch......... he loved sweets, community and saying "meow" and too many other things to mention. How I wish I could have even one more hour of your company.....



Today's recipe uses a member of the mint family, Anise Hyssop. It can be found growing all over North America, or you can order it from a seed company .As the name implies, it has a mild anise flavor. I make ice cream with a little quickie ice cream maker I got at Costco. It comes out more like soft serve, but then I put it in the freezer. The advantage is it's quick and it's not as messy. You could also try putting the mix in the freezer and stirring it every so often, although that has never worked well for me. 


Ingredients:

2 cans of coconut
1 1/2  cups chopped Anise Hyssop leaves
1 scant tbsp. lavender flowers
1/2 cup sugar

for toasted pecan topping:

1 1/2 cups pecans (I soak, then dehydrate mine)
1 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. sugar
pinch of salt

On low heat, simmer coconut milk with Anise Hyssop and lavender, for about 20 minutes. Don't let it come to a boil or it will form a thick skin on top. The mixture will turn a pale green color, simmer till you like the strength of the herbal taste. Strain and add the sugar, stirring to mix while still warm. Cool in the fridge until ready to put in ice cream maker. In a skillet on the stove, add the coconut oil, sugar, pecans and salt. stir over medium heat until the oil is mostly absorbed and the pecans are well coated with the sugar. I toast all my nuts on top of the stove these days, because I'm more likely to keep track of them rather than forgetting them in the oven and burning them; and they toast just as well. 

When the ice cream mixture is well cooled, run it in the ice cream maker or put in the freezer. To serve, top with the nut mixture, which will keep well for at least a week. As if you could resist eating it that long.





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