Maybe I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. When I visited the Chartreuse distillery in the French Alps, our guide told us that the exact recipe for the famed herbal liqueur was a closely guarded secret, known only by three brothers who worked at the monastery. Astounded, I spoke up. “Wow, that’s incredible. What is the likelihood of three brothers going into the same business together, as well as becoming monks at the same monastery?” The other guests on the tour simply stopped and looked at me with their mouths slightly agape. Then our guide enlightened me and we moved on, but not before I overheard a few hushed conversations evaluating my intellect. This is a very light ice cream, and it’s so simple that anyone, regardless of their intelligence level, can easily put it together.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Purée the milk, sour cream, sugar, and Chartreuse in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Step 2
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Variation
Step 3
Substitute another liquor or liqueur for the Chartreuse, such as dark rum, Cognac, or Grand Marnier.
Perfect Pairing
Step 4
Fill Profiteroles (page 232) with Chartreuse Ice Cream, then ladle warm Lean Chocolate Sauce (page 165) over them, topping them with a shower of crisp French Almonds (page 189).
Brrrr…
Step 5
Store your ice creams and sorbets in a freezer set at 0°F (-18°C), which you can verify with the use of a freezer thermometer, available in any supermarket or hardware store. Once your ice cream or sorbet mix is churned, quickly scrape it into a chilled container and press plastic wrap on top to prevent ice crystals from forming on the surface. Then pop it right into the freezer.
Step 6
Alas, although the freezer is the best (and only) place for storing ice creams and sorbets, the low temperature does not make for easy scooping and serving. So you’ll want to remove your ice cream or sorbet from the freezer at least 5 minutes before serving to allow it to come to a temperature and consistency that is easy to scoop, and even easier to enjoy.
