Delicious herbs and ices: rosemary ice cream with chocolate brownie

I scream, you scream, we all scream for....rosemary. Is how the old saying would go, if anyone had any sense. After all, rosemary is 'woody, yet fresh and citrusy, which adds a deliciously complex flavour to recipes', according to Country Life recipe expert Melanie Johnson. It is one of the great herbs, that improves almost everything it touches. From the simple to the complex, rosemary works with it all. Take this rosemary-and-lemon chicken recipe, for example:

'Add skin-on chicken pieces to a roasting tray and pour over a generous splash of olive oil and squeeze over the juice off two lemons, adding them to the tray. Arrange a red onion, cut into wedges, and four rosemary sprigs on and around the chicken pieces, season generously, and add a handful of green olives. Roast for 30 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through and the skin crisped. Meanwhile, process butter beans to a smooth purée with a little chicken stock, garlic and seasoning. Spoon the butterbean purée onto serving plates and arrange chicken pieces, olives and the tray juices over it.'

Heaven. For something more complex, and in keeping with the age-old phrase mentioned at the beginning of this article, here's Melanie's recipe for rosemary ice cream with a chocolate brownie.

Recipe: Rosemary ice cream with a chocolate brownie

Ingredients

For the ice cream

• 250ml whole milk
• 250ml double cream
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 5 egg yolks
• 100g caster sugar

For the chocolate brownie

• 175g unsalted butter
• 200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 250g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1tspn vanilla-bean paste
• A pinch of sea salt
• 115g plain flour

Method

Make the ice cream by adding the milk and cream to asaucepan with the rosemary. Bring to a simmer and then leave to infuse for 30 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together and pour over the infused milk and cream. Whisk together and return to a clean saucepan to heat until thickened and it coats the back of a spoon. Pass through a sieve into a shallow dish and then freeze.

Once almost frozen, remove and process in a blender to break up the crystals and then refreeze. If it still looks crystallised, process again and refreeze, by which time it should be creamy.

Preheat your oven to 160°Cfan/180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and parchment line a 20cm by 20cm (8in by 8in) brownie or skillet pan.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bain marie.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the caster sugar, eggs and vanilla until pale. Pour over the melted butter and chocolate, mixing until smooth, and then fold through the salt and flour.

Pour into the prepared tin and then bake for 25–30 minutes or until just cooked, but still wobbly in the centre.

Remove from the oven and serve warm with a scoop of rosemary ice cream, adding rosemary leaves to decorate.

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