• Combine the sugar, milk and basil in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer.
  1 ½ cups full cream milk, 150 g sugar, 25 g basil
• Then remove it from the heat, cover, and set it aside for 30 minutes or up to one hour (to let the milk be infused with the basil flavour).
• Drain the milk from the basil (and squeeze any milk out of the basil leaves and stalks too) and leave it aside. Discard the basil.
• In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and add the basil infused milk, along with the vanilla. Return the milk to a saucepan and heat it gently while stirring, until the custard thickens slightly. If the custard is able to coat the back of a spoon and you can trace a clean path on it with your finger, then the custard is done. Alternatively, heat the custard until it registers 170 F.
  5 egg yolks, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Stir in the heavy cream with the custard. Place half of this mixture in a blender or food processor with the basil leaves. Pulse until the leaves are blended with the mix. You can also use a stick blender for this as well.
  2½ cups Heavy cream, 10 large basil leaves
• Return the basil mix back with the rest of theice cream base, and let this mix sit in the fridge to chill for at least a few hours or overnight (preferred)
• Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

No churn option

• Transfer the ice cream base into ice cube trays, and place the tray on a flat pan and keep it in the freezer to freeze completely.
• Once the ice cream cubes are frozen, place the ice cubes in a high powered blender or food processor. Pulse to break up the ice, and then gradually increase the speed to blend the ice cream. Scrape the blender sides and bottom in between to ensure it all blends and is uniformly smooth.
• The ice cream should look like soft serve when it's done. Do not blend for too long as the ice cream will start to melt.
• Transfer to an ice cream container and freeze until it sets.