A Recipe for Basil Ice CReam and Citrus Olive Oil Cake

At our French culinary retreats, the kitchen door is always open. So is the recipe box. That's sort of the whole philosophy -- Michelin-quality technique, served family-style, with zero gatekeeping about how any of it gets made. Ask Chef Paul how he did something and he'll just tell you. The whole thing. Ratios and all.

So when this email landed in our inbox a little while after our most recent week with Erin McDowell, there was really only one possible answer:

"I can't stop thinking about Chef Paul's basil ice cream and citrus cake. Would you PLEASEEEE share the recipe?"

Your wish is our command!

Chef Paul Albert would be the first to tell you that nobody owns a recipe anyway. He says it about bread, about cheese, about his braised lamb -- the dish will taste different the moment you make it in your own kitchen, with your carrots and your oven and your Tuesday, and that's not a bug, it's the entire point. So consider this your starter culture. Take it home, make a mess, make it yours.

One honest note before we dive in. These two recipes started life as Paul's proportions, scrawled out in grams with a cheerful "you'll figure it out!" We've gently wrestled them into something the rest of us can actually follow, cups and all, no shrug required.

What These Two Desserts Actually Are

Both of these showed up together on one of the last nights of the week, the way the best desserts do, when everyone swears they're full and then somehow isn't. The ice cream was a green so bright it looked like someone had turned up the saturation on real life -- all from basil, nothing else. The citrus cake came out of the oven and got drenched in warm citrus syrup right there on the counter.

Here's how to make both at home.

Chef Paul's Basil Ice Cream Recipe

A vivid green, basil-forward ice cream built on a crème anglaise, which is just a fancy name for a stirred custard. It's the same base you'd use for vanilla, so once you've made it once, it's yours forever. You'll need an ice cream machine for this one.

Makes about 1 quart.

Ingredients

• 5 egg yolks

• 150 g sugar (about ¾ cup)

• 480 g whole milk (about 2 cups)

• 240 g heavy cream (about 1 cup)

• 120 g blanched basil leaves (yes, that's a lot of basil!)

Method

1. Blanch the basil first. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water next to it. Drop the basil leaves into the boiling water for about 15 seconds, then scoop them straight into the ice water. Once cold, squeeze out as much water as you can. (This is what keeps the ice cream a bright, fresh green instead of a sad army-drab. Don't skip it.)

2. Heat the dairy. Combine the milk and cream in a saucepan and warm over medium heat until it's steaming and just starting to bubble at the edges. Don't let it boil.

3. Whisk the yolks and sugar together in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened.

4. Temper the eggs. This is the one step where people scramble their eggs, so go slow. Pour the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking constantly. You're warming the eggs up gently, not cooking them yet.

5. Cook the custard. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low, stirring constantly with a spatula, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spatula. Run your finger through it and the line should hold. (That's about 170 to 180°F if you have a thermometer.) Do not let it boil, or the eggs will curdle.

6. Strain and chill. Pour the custard through a fine strainer into a clean bowl and chill it completely, ideally overnight, or at least a few hours over an ice bath. A cold base makes for a better texture in the machine. If you plan to chill it overnight you can wait to blanch the basil until you’re ready to blend it in.

7. Blend in the basil. Once the base is fully cold, add the squeezed basil and blend with an immersion blender until smooth and green. (Blending into the cold base is what keeps the color brightest.)

8. Churn in your ice cream machine per its instructions, then transfer to a container and freeze 2 to 4 hours to firm up.

Basil ice cream is at its greenest and most gorgeous in the first few days, so this is a happy excuse to eat it quickly!

Chef Paul's Citrus Olive Oil Cake Recipe

A moist almond cake soaked in citrus syrup while it's still warm from the oven. Use a good, fruity olive oil here, because you'll taste it, and that's the idea.

Makes one loaf or one 8-inch round cake. Serves about 8.

For the cake

• 200 g sugar (about 1 cup)

• 200 g almond flour (about 2 cups)

• 50 g plain dried breadcrumbs (about ½ cup, plain, not seasoned or panko)

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• Zest of 1 orange

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 30 ml orange blossom water (2 tablespoons)

• 3 eggs

• 200 ml olive oil (about ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons)

For the syrup

• 70 g sugar (about ⅓ cup)

• Juice of the orange and lemon (the same ones you zested)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a loaf pan or round cake pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, almond flour, breadcrumbs, and baking powder.

3. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs, olive oil, orange blossom water, and both zests. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until fully combined.

4. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 25 to 40 minutes. Start checking around 25 to 30 minutes. It's done when the top springs back and a toothpick comes out clean. (A loaf pan runs toward the longer end; a wide round pan bakes faster.)

5. While the cake bakes, make the syrup. Combine the 70 g sugar with the orange and lemon juice in a small pan. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves, then take it off the heat.

6. The moment the cake comes out of the oven, pour the hot syrup evenly over the hot cake so it soaks all the way in. Let it cool completely before serving. (It's genuinely lovely cold, straight from the fridge.)

Recipe Questions, Answered

What is crème anglaise? It's a stirred custard made from egg yolks, sugar, milk, and cream, cooked gently on the stovetop until it thickens. It's the backbone of most ice creams, so the basil version is really just classic ice cream base with a green twist.

Can I make the basil ice cream without an ice cream machine? Honestly, this one really wants a machine -- churning is what keeps it smooth instead of icy. If you're determined, you can pour the chilled, basil-blended base into a shallow container and freeze it, stirring vigorously every 30 minutes for a few hours, but the texture won't be quite the same. (Consider it a very good excuse to finally buy the machine.)

Why do I blanch the basil? Two reasons: it locks in that electric green color so it doesn't turn drab, and it mellows the raw, grassy edge of the basil into something rounder and sweeter.

Where do I find orange blossom water? The international or Middle Eastern aisle of larger grocery stores, specialty food shops, or online. It's floral and potent, but the 2 tablespoons here is just enough to make people ask "what IS that?" without taking over.

What olive oil should I use? A good, fruity extra-virgin. This is an olive oil cake, so the oil is a flavor, not just a fat -- use something you'd happily drizzle on bread.

There's more where this came from. At our French culinary retreats, the food is the love language -- Michelin-quality, served family-style, with the kitchen door always open and Chef Paul ready to hand you a spoon. Our French food retreats run throughout the year across France, from Occitanie to the Loire Valley, blending exceptional meals, hands-on workshops, market visits, and wine pairings into a week you'll be talking about for years.Explore our upcoming retreats, or join the waitlist for the next week with Erin McDowell.