Lemon Basil Olive Oil Gelato

Just eight ingredients will give you this bright, fresh Lemon Basil Olive Oil Gelato. This cool, creamy, refreshing dessert will satisfy all of your cravings it's so good! xx
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I love love love this Lemon Basil Olive Oil Gelato!

Lemon-Basil Olive Oil Gelato Recipe | DisplacedHousewife

We have a cookbook title!!! It’s calledΒ The Cookie Book!! I love love love the final title. What do you think? As soon as the cover is finalized, I’ll share it here as well. I seriously can’t wait!!

I knew once I turned the manuscript in there would still be work to be done. But here we are, months later, and it’s still front and center in my life. Which is fine and you don’t expect any less but as you near the end of any exhaustive project it takes more and more focus and effort to stay in it. Does that make sense?

It reminds me of the one time I ran a half marathon. I think I’m using the word ‘run’ loosely here. It’s better described as a ‘slow jog’… Perhaps even better as a crawl that culminated in a dragging of oneself across the finish line. But I did it.

And when you’re training for something like that, unless you’re a born runner, life presents many opportunities to quit. A head cold can throw training askew. A vacation? Forget it. But I stuck with it and finished that beast and for a period of hours in my life thought I was on the cusp of death. But I survived.

Lemon-Basil Olive Oil Gelato Recipe | DisplacedHousewife

That, my friends, is where I find myself this month in the process of writing a book. It has nothing to do with the people that I’ve been working with that have been nothing short of lovely. It has everything to do with stamina.

My love of naps and lounging is only rivaled by my love of sweets and creativity and whiling away the day in the kitchen. All of these loves have been shelved for a very long time and it’s taking tremendous focus and fortitude to shove those loves to the side and continue at such an intense pace.

Lemon-Basil Olive Oil Gelato Recipe | DisplacedHousewife

So here’s where we are today: I have finally seen the layout (I LOVE IT) and frankly, seeing the photos next to the recipes is beyond exciting. Like, BEYOND. I wish I could share all of it right this second. But I can’t. I’m doing the final author proof right now and I feel like the ADD I was convinced I had in college has resurfaced.

I get classic spring fever every year, since I was a kid. My family knows it. They anticipate it. It usually means I work a bit less, go out a bit more, spend more time outside and am generally way more chill. So you can imagine how deeply conflicted I am that I have 180 pages to sift through and edit every last detail (in addition to all of the fun work I get to do with brands and the recipes I like to create for DisplacedHousewife). This is a highly inopportune time to be disciplined.

But, like that half marathon, I’ll drag my body across the finish line. I’ll do it and get it done the best I can cause that’s what we do, isn’t it? Each step along the way has presented a hurdle: the hard work that needs to be done in that moment. And then the reward is when you see something new, a glimmer of what all of this will look like in the end.

As always, let me know in the comments below or via email if there is anything specific about the book-writing process that you’d like me to discuss. I’m happy to share it all!

Lemon-Basil Olive Oil Gelato Recipe | DisplacedHousewife

Lemon Basil Gelato Ingredients & Technique

  • Ice Cream Maker. When I lived in Beijing I didn’t have an ice cream maker so I would use my immersion blender and it would yield the same results, albeit a wee more time consuming. After the gelato mixture has chilled place it in the freezer in a tall container (something that your immersion blender will have the height and space to do its magic). Every 30 minutes thereafter take the it out of the freezer and run the blender in the mixture to break up any ice crystals that are forming…it should only take a minute or two. Cover and place back in the freezer. Repeat until the gelato is thick and creamy. If you’re chilling at home on the weekend, this isn’t a big deal. If you’re really busy, this is unrealistic. And frankly, presents a wonderful opportunity (excuse?) to buy an ice cream maker. I have an inexpensive KitchenAid one that works great.
  • Zesting Lemons. Make sure to only get the yellow part of the lemon and not the pith. I like having the zest in the final gelato. If this bugs you, strain the gelato into your ice cream maker before making to get out any bits.
  • Basil. You want some beautiful, bright-green basil leaves for this. While making the gelato, treat them with care as you don’t want to bruise them.
  • Olive Oil. This recipe was created for Lucini Italia. I used their 100% Italian Premium Olive Oil. The olive oil flavor is really pronounced, so use one that has a flavor you love and would happily drink straight from the bottle.

If you’re interested in more olive oil treats, one of my favorites are these Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies or this Mega Delish Lemon Olive Oil Cake. Enjoy! xo

Let’s make some lemon basil olive oil gelato, shall we?

Rebecca Firth

Lemon Basil Olive Oil Gelato

Just eight ingredients will give you this bright, fresh Lemon Basil Olive Oil Gelato. This cool, creamy, refreshing dessert will satisfy all of your cravings it's so good! xx
5 from 5 reviews
Print Save Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Gelato, Ice Cream
Keyword: Lemon, Basil, Gelato, Frozen Dessert, Olive Oil

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • ΒΎ cup granulated sugar
  • ΒΌ cup fresh lemon zest (about 4 lemons)
  • ΒΌ cup fresh whole basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ΒΌ cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the milk and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved; this will take about 5 minutes. Add in the lemon zest, basil leaves and fresh lemon juice. Turn off the heat and let sit for 30 minutes.
  • Take the basil out, return to medium-low heat once more and whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time making sure the first is well blended before adding in the second. Add in the salt and gently whisk for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the ice cream base is hot to the touch (it should reach 170 F (77 C) to kill any bacteria from the eggs). Remove from the heat and transfer to a large-lidded container. Add in the basil back to the ice cream mixture. Cover and set in the fridge until chilled through, about 2 to 3 hours.
  • Once cool, add to your ice cream maker* and proceed with manufacturer's instructions. You want to stop the gelato before it gets too firm, for me this was around 25 minutes in my ice cream maker. At this point drizzle in the olive oil while the machine runs. Scoop into a clean, lidded container and freezer for several hours before serving.

Notes

I’ve made this with both the basil in the final gelato and also where I would take it out before putting the mixture into the ice cream maker. I think I preferred the version without, fyi, although some of the photos have the basil in the gelato.
Second, see above notes (in the Before We Get Started section of the blog post) on how to make without an ice cream maker.
Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo

Comments

Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe

I love your comments, reviews and questions! If you love this recipe, please rate it when you leave a comment. Star ratings 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 help people discover my recipes. Your support means a lot, I look forward to chatting with you!

Rebecca xox

Recipe Rating




12 Comments

  • Donna February 6, 2021 at 10:15 AM

    5 stars
    I made this recipe… I found it absolutely delicious. I would recommend straining it before making it otherwise you get all these bits and pieces of zest from the lemon and it’s like eating hair. But I found it a very refreshing dessert and amazingly late especially after a heavy meal. Also I removed the basil from it.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth February 6, 2021 at 3:03 PM

      Hi Donna!! It makes me so happy that you made and love this!! One of my favorite recipes!! xox

      Reply
  • Diem August 1, 2020 at 6:56 PM

    Hi Rebecca, I tried your lemon basil gelato recipe and when I added the lemon juice to the milk it made the milk curdle. So the gelato turned out a bit grainy. Any suggestion on how to prevent the curdling? Also I think 1tsp of sea salt is a bit too salty. Probably will cut it by half for next time. Love the flavor combination of this gelato!

    Reply
  • Melissa Torres June 21, 2018 at 10:52 PM

    I just watched the Magic Pill and it was so good. I usually don’t like documentaries that seem to scream at you to do one thing and only present information that’s one sided or overwhelming. I thought this was easy to watch, absorb and find ways to incorporate what they shared into our life.

    This gelato sounds amazing with the combination of flavors. I usually don’t care for ice cream or gelato but I might have to try this!

    Reply
  • 2pots2cook June 11, 2018 at 10:02 AM

    Perfect work of art ! Thank you !

    Reply
  • Elizabethan June 5, 2018 at 12:05 AM

    Good man! That is a good offer for you. http://bit.ly/2KcltRX

    Reply
  • Laura | Tutti Dolci May 19, 2018 at 4:12 AM

    Such delicious flavors, this is the perfect summery gelato!

    Reply
  • Erin Clarkson May 16, 2018 at 3:06 AM

    Ooooooohhh this looks so, so good. I love olive oil in everything! xx

    Reply
  • Christine May 14, 2018 at 7:51 PM

    Absolutely love the title of the book! And I love the sound of this recipe! So fresh and summery!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Firth May 14, 2018 at 9:10 PM

      Thank you so much friend!!! I’m so happy with it! xoxo

      Reply
  • Sasha May 12, 2018 at 8:45 PM

    I love the title!! So cute! This recipe looks amazing! xx

    Reply