Tarragon Ice Cream with Strawberry Ripple

Some people turn their nose up at strange pairings, especially when it comes to desserts. But give herbs a chance. If you watched me on the Great American Baking Show, you know that I love to pair herbs and fruit. Apricot and rosemary, nectarine and lemon verbena, peach and basil, apple and sage, lemon and thyme...the list goes on and on. In the right balance, the flavors of the fruit and the herbs almost have a conversation.

Tarragon and strawberries have great banter. The high-toned licorice notes and whispers of vanilla in the tarragon pair surprisingly well with the floral, complex flavor of perfectly ripe fresh strawberries. I use an egg-less ice cream base here to let the tarragon shine. (Plus its much easier than a custard.) The no-cook ripple keeps the bright, fresh flavor of just-picked strawberries.

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Makes just over 1 quart.

Tarragon ice cream base

300 g whole milk

35 g light corn syrup

2 Tablespoons dry milk powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

100 g (1/2 cup) sugar

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp vanilla extract

300 g heavy cream

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh tarragon

Add the milk and corn syrup to a small saucepan. In a bowl, whisk together milk powder, salt, sugar, and xanthan gum. Put the pan over medium heat, and add the sugar mixture, whisking to combine. Cook , stirring, over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, just until the mixture begins to steam and the sugar is fully dissolved.

Pour into a 4-cup measuring cup (or bowl of equivalent size). Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and whisk to combine. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until cold, at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.

In a small saucepan, bring about 4 cups water to a boil. In a medium bowl, prepare an ice bath (about 3 cups of ice and 3 cups of cold water). Once the water boils, add the tarragon and count to 10. After 10 seconds, remove the tarragon and dunk it in the ice bath. Remove it from the ice bath and gently squeeze excess water from the tarragon.

Add the tarragon and about 1 1/2 cups of the ice cream base to a blender and blend for about 1 minute. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and push on any remaining solids to extract the flavor.  Whisk this mixture into the rest of the ice cream base mixture. Cover and chill until you are ready to churn.

Strawberry ripple

113 g (4 oz) ripe fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

50 g (1/4 cup) sugar

10 g freeze-dried strawberries or freeze-dried strawberry powder

1 tsp kirsch (optional)

pinch of kosher salt

Combine strawberry ripple ingredients into a blender or small food processor (I use a small single-serve blender for this task) and blend on high speed for about 1 minute. Pour into a small (1-cup) liquid measuring cup. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until needed, up to 4 days.

Churning, assembly, and freezing

Churn the tarragon ice cream according to the your ice cream machine’s instructions. While the ice cream churns, freeze whatever container you will be storing the ice cream in. This recipe fits well in a standard 8 1/2-inch by 4-inch loaf pan.

Just before the ice cream finishes churning, grab the chilled strawberry ripple from the refrigerator and the ice cream storage container from the freezer. Be prepared and work quickly. Once the ice cream is finished churning. Drizzle about 3 Tablespoons of ripple around the bottom of the container, then add about 1/4 of the ice cream and spread as evenly as possible, without disturbing the ripple. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of ripple on top of the ice cream, then add another 1/4 of the ice cream mixture. Repeat until all of the ice cream and ripple are used up. Get a butter knife and and make one single large S-shaped squiggle all the way down the dish to lightly swirl the ice cream and strawberry ripple. Don't do this too much or the two will over mix, resulting in a muddy swirl. You want the layers to be distinct, so err on the side of under-swirling, or not swirling at all. Get the container into the freezer as soon as possible. Freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.

Pro Tips:

• Yes, you need to use corn syrup. The texture isn't the same without it.

• These days, most grocery stores carry xanthan gum. You only need a tiny amount, but it lasts a long time. If you have a friend that bakes gluten-free things, they may have some that you can use.

• If you're in a pinch, you can swap out this strawberry ripple with strawberry jam. You’ll need about 1/2 cup of jam.

• Watch me make this on my Instagram reel.