Mint Julep Ice Cream

Please welcome guest author Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic as we gear up for Derby Day with mint julep ice cream. Garrett and I made this the other day and my dad is still getting all misty eyed thinking about how good it was. ~Elise

I have a great love of bourbon, which, I think, grew out of my love for Kentucky where my family and I spent many summers visiting my godmother. I was too young to drink bourbon then, but a tall glass of dark sweet tea with handfuls of mint muddled at the bottom was always at hand. It was a refreshing way to stave off smothering humidity and it made the fun times more enjoyable.

Mint juleps – a drink relying of mint, sugar, water, and good ‘ol Kentucky bourbon – have that same sweet-n-minty cooling quality. They take me back to those shady, easygoing vacations. It’s a cocktail that seems to roll the sweetness of breezy Bluegrass country and the excitement of the Kentucky Derby all into one.

At a recent dinner I was unexpectedly tossed down Memory Lane when I tasted this mint julep ice cream. The chill-inducing mint and slightly spicy bourbon took me right back to those summer nights sitting on the river docks with my family. This recipe comes from the dessert-crafter extraordinaire Elaine Baker, the pastry chef at Grange Restaurant, who I’m sure must have cherished Southern memories of her own to develop an ice cream this good.

Mint Julep Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 ounces of mint leaves (spearmint)
• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 1 1/2 cups of cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1/4 cup of bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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