Sweet basil ice cream

The Australian sun has come back and that means it is hot and humid - too much for me. The sun here actually really burns your skin if you don't stay in the shade or even better stay inside the house and make ice cream, like I did. I couldn't be bothered to go near a stove top to make a custard though so I used mascarpone and Greek-style yoghurt with fresh basil leaves.

It might sound weird but it's actually a very nice flavour that would go well with fruit salad. Since you don't make the custard it's also very quick and easy to make. I used an ice cream maker to churn it into a soft mix, but it will probably also work if you don't have an ice cream maker.

Here is the recipe for sweet basil ice cream:

1 bunch basil, leaves picked
500 g caster sugar
1 kg Greek-style yoghurt
500 g mascarpone
juice and rind of 1 lime


1. Put leaves and sugar in a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix together. Put in an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.