Blend all until smooth. Top with an extra berry or two. Drink right away.
Lemon Verbena Ice Cream (makes 1 quart)
In a small saucepan, heat the cream, swirling occasionally, until small bubbles appear around the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat, add the lemon verbena leaves and submerge them under the cream. Cover and steep for 20 minutes. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve and into a quart-sized mason jar or other heat-proof container. Cover and set aside with the sieve handy.
Heat the half and half in a medium saucepan, swirling occasionally, until small bubbles appear around the sides of the pan. If you have an instant-read thermometer, have it handy.
Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl set on a damp towel to stabilize it. Add the sugar and salt, whisking to combine. Whisking constantly with one hand, pour the hot half and half very slowly into the yolks. (This is called tempering, and prevents the yolks from scrambling.) Pour the mixture back into the pot and set over a medium-low flame. Cook, stirring constantly with a heat-proof rubber spatula, scraping the sides and bottom of the pot, until the custard just begins to 'stick' (or form a thickened filon the bottom of the pot (you may have to tilt the pan to see it), or registers 170ยบ on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes.
Immediately pour the custard through the strainer and into the container of infused cream, stir to combine, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Place the ice cream base in the freezer for 30 minutes to get it really cold, stirring it once or twice, then process in an ice cream maker. Scrape into a storage container, cover and 'cure' in the freezer for at least 2 hours for a firmer consistency.
Homemade ice cream is best eaten within the first few days of being made, but will keep for a month or two in the freezer.
Notes
I love this ice cream blended into berry shakes, below, but it could also accompany roasted peaches or apricots. If you have extra lemon verbena, hang it upside-down to dry in a cool, dark place, then store in a jar and use it to make tisane.If you prefer, you can make this ice cream with 1 cup of whole milk and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. Save the egg whites for making brown-butter financier cakes; they will keep in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for several months. For more information on making ice cream, see my post on Dreamy Vanilla Ice Cream.Timings are based on the shakes.Nutritional values are based on one of two shakes.