May is here! Which clearly means it’s time for an ice cream recipe. This recipe is actually based on one of my favorite teas, Blackberry Sage from The Republic of Tea, and no this isn’t a sponsored post. I just really like the tea. Anyhow, it sounds like an odd flavor combination, blackberry and sage… but it is in fact amazing, and possibly even better in ice cream form. The ice cream version is lightly sweet, full of blackberry flavor, has undertones of black tea, and just a hint of sage. I will mention this is a full churn recipe, and has a good few steps, including a double strain, but it so worth it, because the ice cream comes out uber smooth. Overall, cool, refreshing, creamy, delicious. Perfect for summer.

Recipe adapted from Ree Drummond’s Blackberry Chip Ice Cream and David Lebovitz’s Mint Chip Ice Cream.

Blackberry Sage Ice Cream

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Yield: 1 quart (aprox.) 1x

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon of dried ground sage (If using English Breakfast rather then blackberry sage tea you may want to increase the amount of sage)
2 pints fresh blackberries
1 Blackberry Sage tea bag or English Breakfast tea bag ( Blackberry Sage Tea is made by The Republic of Tea)
5 large egg yolks

Equipment

saucepan or pot
heatproof spatula
strainer (or cheesecloth, or fine mesh colander)
three medium/large bowls
ice cream machine
ice for an ice bath

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Instructions

Cook Mixture / Infuse

In a saucepan warm the milk, sugar, one cup heavy cream, salt, sage, blackberries, and tea bag. As the mixture heats, start squishing down the blackberries, but be careful not to pop the tea bag.
Once the mixture is hot and steaming, and the blackberries have mostly turned to a fruit mush remove from heat, cover, and let stand for an hour to infuse the tea flavor.
Use a mesh strainer to strain the mixture into one of the bowls. Be sure to strain out the tea bag, any seeds from the blackberries, and any chunks of fruit that haven’t broken down. Discard what has been strained out. Rinse out the strainer and saucepan, you will need both again.

Prepare Ice Bath

Fill the largest of the bowls with ice. Place a slightly smaller bowl on top of the ice and pour the remaining heavy cream into it. Set the strainer over the top.

Finish Cooking The Mixture

Pour the strained blackberry mixture black into the saucepan and rewarm it over low heat.
In the now empty bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, then slowly pour a small amount of the warm blackberry mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly. Do this a second time, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. (If the eggs get hot too fast they will cook so be sure to add the gradual amounts and mix well.)
Cook the mixture, on low or just above (but not too hot!), stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Note: Don’t heat the mixture too quickly or the eggs will scramble in the ice cream.
Immediately strain the mixture into the cream that is waiting over the ice bath, then stir the mixture until cool and well mixed.

Churn / Freeze

Refrigerate the mixture overnight. The next day churn it in your ice cream maker following the manufacturer’s instructions. When finished churning, transfer to a storage container, cover and freeze until firm.