Strawberry and Basil Ice Cream

Ah, strawberries and basil. Two beautiful summer tastes blended together in a dessert. Can it get any better than this? There are a lot of things in your life that could use a little basil. And yes, your ice cream is one of them.

It's okay if you have doubts. You can even mock me if you want. What will she make next... parsley sorbet?!

The secret ingredient in this is the cashew cream infused with basil. I have to admit Ashley was downright disgusted when she saw me blending the soaked cashews with water. It only made things worse when she saw the mixture sitting in the fridge with a giant clump of basil in the middle. I believe I even heard "ewww" escape her mouth more than once. Of course, she quickly changed her mind when she tried a spoonful of the ice cream later on. She even came back begging for more.

I found this recipe on Rawmazing and instantly knew it would be a winner. You can choose to make this raw and use a raw milk of your choice or you can use soy milk like I did in this batch. The beauty of this is that you don't need an ice cream maker! A standard food processor works just fine.

Basil Cream:

• 2 cups cashews
  
• 2 cups water
• handful fresh basil (1/4 cup packed tightly)

1. Soak the cashews for at least 3 hours (in about 4 cups of water.)
2. Drain cashews and place them in a high-speed blender.
3. Add the 2 cups of water and process until very smooth.
4. Bruise the basil (crush it in your hand to start releasing the oils).
5. Stir into cream, place in container and refrigerate for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
6. Strain (a colander works the best as this is quite thick.)

Ice Cream

• 2 cups basil cream
• 1/2 cup milk of your choice (you can use soy or a raw nut milk)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 2 cup chopped strawberries

1. Blend basil cream, milk, 1 cup of strawberries and agave until smooth.
2. Freeze in a freezer-safe container over night.
3. Cut the frozen mixture into chunks and process in a food processor until smooth. Add the second cup of strawberries at the last minute to give your ice cream a chunky texture.
4. You can then choose to freeze it again for a couple of hours to harden up a bit more or you can serve immediately.