Taken from the "high-summer herbs" section of the cookbook In Season by Sarah Raven, this recipe is a great way to use up a bumper crop of basil.  On those hot July evenings what could be better than some cool and refreshing basil ice cream?!?

Basil Ice Cream
from In Season: Cooking with Vegetables and Fruits by Sarah Raven

I first had this at the wonderful Amsterdam restaurant, De Kas.  There they use sweet Genovese basil, but I also love making this with Mrs. Burns' Lemon Basil.

Yield: about 4 quarts
2 large bunches of fresh basil
5 cups superfine sugar
2 1/2 cups marscapone cheese
2 1/2 quarts (85oz) plain yogurt

Pick the leaves from the basil stems and blend then with the sugar in a food processor.  Combine with the other ingredients and pour the mixture into an ice cream maker.  Freeze/churn for about 20 minutes and either serve immediately or pack into containers for the freezer.

Allow the ice cream 15 minutes in the fridge before serving.  This has a wonderful flavor if it is eaten as fresh as possible.  Don't store it for too long in the freezer.

**Don't have an ice cream maker?  You can check one out from our Tool Lending Library!!