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Pink Grapefruit Ice Cream with Citrus Twists

Pink Grapefruit and Basil Ice Cream with Citrus Twists

A fresh summery ice cream that marries bright pink grapefruit with the faint sweetness of basil is already a joy to make up.  Add a lemon lime and basil puff pastry twist, and you have the perfect crunch and contrast to accompany this dreamy summer dessert!

Course Dessert
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

Ice Cream

  • finely grated zest and juice from one large pink grapefruit
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 35 basil leaves
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/3 superfine sugar
  • 2/3 cup whipping cream
  • 1 to 2 tbsp lemon juice

Citrus Twists

  • 1 sheet of puff pastry thawed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • zest from 1 lemon and 2 limes
  • 2 tsp finely chopped basil leaves

Instructions

Ice Cream

  1. Put the grapefruit zest and granulated sugar into a mortar and pound with the pestle.
  2. Heat the milk with the pounded zest mixture until it reaches boiling point. Remove from the heat and coarsely tear the and add the basil leaves. Cover and set aside to infuse for a couple of hours.
  3. Using a hand held electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the superfine sugar until pale and thick.
  4. Strain the flavoured milk into a glass measuring cup, using the back of the spoon to press out all the flavour from the basil leaves and the grapefruit zest. (I did add some of this pressed zest into the strained mixture)
  5. Stir this into the beaten egg mixture and put it into a clean heavy bottom pot.
  6. Over low heat, stirring all the time, heat the custard until it thickens slightly. It needs to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, so that you can run a finger across it and it leaves a channel that doesn't come back together. Be really careful, as the eggs will scramble if it gets too hot.
  7. Immediately pour this into a cool bowl (set the bowl into a larger bowl filled with cold water and ice cubes) Let the custard stand in this till it reaches room temperature, stirring occasionally as it cools.
  8. While this is cooling, whip the cream into soft peaks, being careful not to overbeat it. Fold in the completely cooled custard, and then stir in the grapefruit juice that you had strained at the beginning (I use some of the grapefruit pulp in it as well, for texture and colour flecks)
  9. Add 1 tbsp of the lemon juice. Taste, it should enhance the grapefruit flavour, not overwhelm it. Add another if necessary. This will depend on the grapefruit you are using. Some are more delicate that others. Depending on the grapefruit, the colour may also be affected, some grapefruits are much more coral, while others are a truly pale pink.
  10. Here's a trick: if you find that your custard is too pale and you really want it to look more pink, why not take a one or two teaspoons of pomegranate molasses and mix it thoroughly with the lemon juice before adding the lemon to the mixture! It is tart, and that little bit won't really alter the flavour. But the pink will definitely be enhanced!
  11. At this point I chilled the entire mixture in a bowl covered with cling film in the fridge for a couple of hours. Diana says it can go directly into the machine. I like it to be really cold before it hits the cold bowl of my machine. See Notes below for alternative method for churning.
  12. Follow your machine's directions (mine took about 20 minutes to churn up) Transfer to a prepared container and put into the freezer to set completely.
  13. When ready to serve, remove from the freezer about 10 minutes early to soften it for easy serving.

Citrus Twists

  1. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375F.
  2. Spread out 1/4 of the sugar over your counter roughly the same size as the thawed puff pastry sheet.

  3. Lay the sheet over the sugar. 

  4. On top, sprinkle about 2 tbsp of sugar, along with half of the lemon and lime zest, and half of the chopped basil, spreading it out evenly over everything.

  5. Roll this out gently, just to push the sugar and citrus zest into the dough. This will keep if from falling off when baking.

  6. Fold in half. You want to be able to roll this final folded sheet into an 8 x 10" sheet, so fold accordingly.

  7. Sprinkle the new top with a bit more sugar (I just used all the bits of sugar that were scatter on the counter around the pastry (it should make up about another tbsp or two) Sprinkle the final zest and basil over everything as well.

  8. One final roll to get it to the correct dimensions. So now you have a sheet about 8" high, by 10" wide. Cut this sheet into 10 1inch strips.

  9. Picking up one strip at a time, transfer it to the sheet, twisting it several time before laying it down on the parchment. If the strips want to open up, just push the ends down lightly.
  10. Place the twists about 1inch apart, or as wide apart as possible for your baking sheet.

  11. Bake on the middle rack until golden brown, the sugar starting to caramelize in spots.  This should take anywhere from 20 minutes or so.  Just watch- they should have puffed and firmed up, become crisp and just golden.  They will still be soft when ready to come out, but they will continue to firm up.  Start checking at the 15 minute mark.

  12. Take the baking sheet out and let the twists rest till cooled down enough to touch. Transfer to a cooling rack where they will continue to firm up a bit.
  13. Best eaten the day they are made, but these can be reheated in a toaster oven for a few minutes at 300F.