Perfect for a leisurely afternoon, Blueberry-Basil Ice Cream Floats pair our homemade ice cream with ginger ale for a frothy refresher with tantalizing herbal character.
Blueberry-Basil Ice Cream Floats
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups half-and-half, divided
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
- 3 pints fresh blueberries, lightly crushed
- 1 (2-liter) bottle ginger ale, chilled
- Garnish: fresh blueberries, fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups half-and-half and basil. Bring just to a boil over medium-high heat; remove from heat, and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a container, discarding solids. Cover and refrigerate half and-half until very cold, about 2 hours.
- In a large bowl, beat cream with a mixer at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Add sweetened condensed milk, and beat until stiff peaks form again. Gradually pour in basil-infused half-and-half and remaining 2 cups half-in-half, stirring until combined.
- Pour mixture into the container of an electric ice cream maker. Stir in crushed blueberries. Freeze mixture according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spoon mixture into freezer-safe containers, and freeze for up to 1 month.
- Spoon desired amount of ice cream into glasses. Fill with chilled ginger ale. Garnish with blueberries and basil, if desired, and serve immediately.
For more delectable summer recipes, see “Berried Treasure” in the July/August 2019 issue, available on newsstands and at Victoriamag.com.
