Seasonal & Sweet

Pine Rosemary Ice Cream

by Torrey Douglass

The U.S. Forest Service website lists no fewer than seven types of pine trees in the Mendocino National Forest, including Western White Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Foxtail Pine, and the Sugar Pine, so named thanks to the sweet flavor of its sap. Our county is also the only place where you can find Pinus contorta var. bolanderi, the Mendocino Shore Pine, which is a variety of the common lodgepole pine. The “contorta” part of their name is apt—shore pines grow twisted and bent due to the coastal winds, creating shapes reminiscent of a gnarled hand grasping at the ocean breeze.

Mendocino County also has an abundance of fir trees. Pine and fir trees belong to the same genus (Abies) and can look similar, but you can differentiate between them if you look closely. Fir trees are the classic Christmas tree, with a triangular shape and soft, relatively short needles (rarely more than 2”). In contrast, needles of the pine trees have sharper tips, grow in clusters, and can be just under 1” all the way to 12” or even 16” long. The branches of pines grow less densely than fir trees, and their overall shape can vary from an irregular triangle to a roughly round shape with jagged edges—think a circle that’s had a hard life.

Pine trees might not seem like an obvious foraging source, but the fact that its needles can be foraged throughout the year has inspired some colder climate foragers to get creative. You can brew pine needles into a vitamin C-rich tea for a wintery hot beverage that smells and tastes like the forest. In Japan, pine branches are added to the glowing coals under a grill to deliver flavors of evergreen and citrus to the fish or mushrooms above. Some high-end restaurants tempura-fry them for an interesting crunch on top of their dishes.

It’s easy to get nostalgic when confronted with the scents of evergreen trees, since they are so closely associated with the holidays and the final bow of one year before another steps onto the stage. Capture that nostalgia in a dessert with the following Pine Rosemary Ice Cream created by Miro, the pastry chef of New York City’s legendary Gramercy Tavern. It’s subtly sweet and the pine essence includes echoes of mint—a fitting finale for a winter dinner.

Pine Rosemary Ice Cream

Yield: 2.5 pints

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/2 c milk

• 1-1/2 c heavy cream

• 3/8 oz (half a small herb package) rosemary stalks

• 3/4 oz pine sprigs (needles and small branches)

• 1 c sugar

• 4 egg yolks

DIRECTIONS

Add milk, cream, rosemary, and pine to a large pot. Allow to almost boil before removing from heat. Let it cool and leave it for at least four hours. Can be left overnight, but not longer.

Remove the pine and rosemary from the infused milk/cream and then add one cup of sugar to the pot. Again bring just shy of a boil. Remove one cup of the liquid and whisk 4 egg yolks into that cup before returning the yolk mixture to the pot.

Stir constantly on low heat for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture heavily coats the sides of the pot. Remove from heat and refrigerate for 4 hours until chilled.

Spin in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Remove to freezer- safe container and harden in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.