For the Kentucky Derby, you need Mint Juleps, right? Well for the Derby, or any time, this is a fabulous ice cream recipe for those Summer (or almost summer) days…

This gelato was inspired by our neighbors, Sara & Paul, and their wonderful mint juleps that they make for the Derby.  Their recipe is a little nontraditional, as it calls for lemon, but I like their version even better than then typical Mint Julep drink.

Gelato is healthier than ice cream because it has less fat in it, and it’s texture is just wonderful.  And while I don’t have a real gelato maker, I fake it by using my Kitchen Aid’s ice cream freezer attachment, and using the lowest speed.   (And if you like this, check out my Southern Iced Tea ice cream over on Foodwhirl, it uses a similar process.)

The instructions below take three days, but you can cheat and start today on this, to  have it ready for tomorrow.  Just skip to Day 2, and add your lemon/mint after you add your milk.

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk (I used 2%)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• ~3/4 c mint sprigs, loosely packed
• 1 to 2 oz bourbon
• 1 teas vanilla extract
• zest of 1 lemon

Method

I took many of these instructions from the Ice Tea Gelato recipe, so refer to that more instructions, and more photos of the actual freezing process.

Day 1: Infuse the milk with mint & lemon zest

(Photos 1, 2, 3) Zest 1 lemon. Crush your mint leaves in your hands to release the flavors, and place all  in large glass jar with 2 cups milk.  Let sit overnight.

If you’re using an ice cream maker that requires freezing the bowl (like my Kitchen Aid) don’t forget to freeze your bowl.

Day 2: Make  your custard:

(4) Strain milk to remove mint /lemon (put the lemon/mint back in the jar and stick it in the fridge for later use).

(6) Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat thoroughly with a whisk until lightened in color and smooth.

Heat milk and cream on stovetop until bubbles are just forming around the of your pot.  (7) Slowly add the hot milk mixture, a little bit at a time, continuing to stir.  When the all the milk has been added and the mixture is combined, return to the pot.  Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees, or had thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon – note, for this recipe, mine never gets that thick, so don’t worry too much about it.

(8) Remove from heat, and place custard in an ice bath to chill.

(9) Return the mint and lemon to the mixture, and add your vanilla and bourbon.  Refrigerate overnight.

Day 3:  Make Gelato!

Strain your custard, and place in your ice cream maker (assuming your don’t actually own a gelato maker, of course).  Use the lowest speed possible–gelato ideally should be made at a lower speed, incorporating less air than icecream, to achieve it’s texture.   Freeze until a soft serve consistency is reached. (similar photos here.)

Either serve immediately soft-serve  if you like, or freeze for several hours to a more solid consistency.

(10) Garnish with a sprig of mint, and offer your guests a little extra bourbon for the top if they so desire!

Published on: May 4, 2012

More Summer food inspirations from Foodwhirl.com:

Tres Leches Pancakes

“My awesomely cool friend Rachel pointed out these on her Facebook, and I had to link them here.  We’ve featured Tres Leches Cake here before (yay, Niki!)  but I know some of you won’t go bake a cake.  But everyone makes pancakes, right?  They aren’t scary.  So check out these Tres Leches Pancakes at Givers Log.”

Lunch Ideas: Salmon Cucumber Sandwich

“Need a nice, healthy lunch, or a light dinner?  I adore fish sandwiches in the summer, and salmon and cucumber are always a nice mix! I love to cook an extra salmon filet or two (to medium rare) when doing salmon for dinner (maybe Chili Garlic Salmon?), then heating it up the next day for a quick lunch.”

Birthday Party Brunch

“With the summer so hot, when I recently planned my son’s birthday party, I decided to do it as early in the day as possible to beat the heat a bit. And since we were inviting both kids and adults, we needed ‘real food’ for everyone to munch on. A brunch was a relatively easy and cost effective way to feed everyone and have a great gathering…”

Cooling off for the Summer

“I hope everyone is gearing up for a lovely Weekend!  Here in Atlanta it’s going to be beautiful, but HOT… So, here are some ideas for cooling off! ” Including: Make a Cucumber Gimlet at Crumpets and Cakes!  Or maybe some Homemade Herbal Lemonade. Pictured: Star Shaped Fruit salad from Chica & Jo.

Spotlight: Sushi / Ceviche

“I spotted this gorgeous idea this morning, at Cristina – from Buenos Aires to Paris, and thought “wow, 2 of my favorite foods – why didn’t I think of this combination?”  Needless to say, this looks divine! Dreaming about vacations by the sea? Late summer nights sharing dinner with friends?”

Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow)

“I’ve been on a kick of Asian inspired food lately (like this Easy Pad Thai!) and this one looks like an excellent choice… A simple Thai meal! Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow) at No Recipes. Thai Basil Chicken is one of those dishes that fits squarely in the category of best-bang-for-your-buck.”

Penne Pasta with Cream, Pesto and Tomatoes

“I’ve been experimenting with selling herbs at the local farmers market recently and the one that seems to sell the best is basil.  I always seem to sell out early.  So this last market, I took double what I normally take and guess what….. I didn’t sell it all.  …”

Greek turkey burgers with yogurt and feta

“This sounds like a delicious application for ground turkey, from the very helpful The Perfect Pantry! Why does a whole chicken taste better than a whole turkey, but ground turkey tastes better than ground chicken? I don’t have the answer, but I always have ground turkey in my freezer.”

Cajun Shrimp & Okra

“I had the urge the other night to make some sort of dish with shrimp, to use up some shrimp broth in my freezer. I had a pound of shrimp, and also some frozen okra on hand, so I figured that was just screaming to go Cajun or Creole (Let the good times roll with Shrimp Creole!).”

And if you’re not reading Foodwhirl, why not?  It is yummy tasty good over there…!   Here’s the Foodwhirl RSS Feed.. for new recipes delivered mostly daily!  And Foodwhirl’s Facebook or Twitter if you’d prefer to follow us that way.  So go stop by and say hi!  You’ll find me over there, plus lots of other real cooks cooking real food.