It is a bit "planty"

  I don't even think that is a word..planty..but that is exactly how my son described the bowl of ice cream that I handed him.  Planty?  Whatever! Sure, I did make it out of flowers but shouldn't he have used the term "flowery" instead of coining some new word?  Oh, well.  I liked the Gardenia Ice Cream!  It did, indeed, have a slightly flowery taste, smelled a smidgen like the gardenia bloom and have an almost too creamy of a texture but it was not at all unpalatable.  In fact, I would have said it was downright delicious.  I suppose not everyone is keen on picking flowers from the garden and plopping them in desserts.  I, also, suppose that perhaps men just are not that anxious to eat things that might smell like one of the scented candles sitting around the house. Me?  I am not that picky!  I like things that smell nice.  Candles, flowers, ice cream...it matters not!

  I admit that I have never attempted to make ice cream using flowers before but, then again, there is always a first time for everything.  The success of the dish now has me curious if rose petals or violet petals would create a different taste.  Several years ago, my daughter and I were feeling a tad adventurous and made several batches of jelly using different flowers.  Hibiscus, Violets, Roses, Nasturtiums and Lavender blossoms all were washed and used as flavorings.  My favorite of those was the Hibiscus!  It has a slight cranberry taste and makes a beautiful dark red jelly.  I am not sure that I would like dark red ice cream so, perhaps, the Hibiscus will be reserved for teas and jelly and not make it to the freezer!

  To make the ice cream, I used a standard recipe that Mom used to use in the old hand-cranked freezer.  I altered it a bit to suit my needs but it worked well.  The cream and milk was infused with the Gardenia petals and vanilla bean for an hour and then strained before proceeding with the final ingredients.  As for freezing, I sort of improvised.  The ice cream maker has not been used for years and needed a good cleaning. I merely filled a stainless steel mixing bowl with ice, added salt and situated a smaller stainless steel bowl inside.  The smaller bowl held my ice cream.  Hehe..then I had the bright idea of using my handheld mixer to "turn" the smaller bowl.  Using the lowest setting, the ice cream was stirred causing the bowl to rotate on the ice.  It worked like a charm!  I will include my recipe in the "Cooking on the Bayou" page for any who are interested.  Try it!  It is definitely unique!