Approximately 3 years ago my dear friend Anne gave me some lemongrass she had “weeded” out of her planter.  I was thrilled to get it, since I love lemongrass and the stalks were thick and fragrant.  I noticed that the roots were still attached, and I mentioned that I was going to plant some in my backyard, so I could have my own crop of lemongrass.

“Oh my God!  Don’t do it!”, she exclaimed with a laugh.

“Why not ?”, I asked.

“Because it is evil and will grow out of control!”, she retorted.

“Yes...evil!”, her husband John chimed in...with a smile.

I went home and planted it anyway.  While I do not find it evil, I can certainly see how, given the opportunity, it would perhaps make an attempt at ruling the world.  Yes indeed, this stuff grows like nobody’s business.

Lemongrass is a term used to refer to a grass, native to India, which has a wonderful citrus aroma and flavor.  It is sometimes called citronella grass, and it is where we get citronella oil from, which is used in the manufacturing of insect repellents, soaps, candles, and anywhere else where the scent of lemons might be appropriate.  It is also used for making teas, and is prominently featured in many Asian cuisines, and has found quite a bit of favor in Fusion Cuisine.

Although lemongrass grows wild in hot and humid environments, I can assure you that it does just fine in my somewhat dry Northern California climate, and does not seem to care if I refuse to give it any attention at all.  I planted 3 stalks of lemongrass, and in a year it had grown into a thicket approximately 3 feet in diameter.  The first year I decided to harvest some ended up becoming a several hour long ordeal, and I gave up from sheer exhaustion after a harvest that yielded 10 pounds of cleaned stalks.  The thicket looked no smaller.  I took the cleaned stalks to the local Thai restaurant and they happily gave me the $10 I asked for them.

This spring I decided to take action and whacked the tops with a machete, and then literally mowed it to the ground with my lawn mower.  “Take that you big, bad lemongrass cyborg!”, I thought, as I admired my work.

It took about 1 month for it to begin its ascent into dominion.  I have chosen to live in harmony with it now.  How very Zen of me...

My first experience with lemongrass as a cooking ingredient came about when I was working in the pastry department of the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida.  Chef Keegan Gerhard (now of Food Network fame) infused some milk (or maybe it was cream) with it and asked me to come over and taste it.

“What does that remind you have ?”, he said with a grin.

“Froot Loops !”, I immediately said.

“YES !!!”, he said as he broke out in laughter.

I swear it tastes like Froot Loops cereal.  Weird, but true.

Despite the flavor association with the colorful children’s cereal, lemongrass is quite wonderful in desserts.  I have used it to infuse milk and cream for crème brûlée, crème anglaise, flan, and many other preparations.  It is also wonderful when peeled, grated, and used as a seasoning for fish, seafood, and chicken dishes.

As I was walking through my garden several days ago I decided to pick some of the new lemongrass I had decided to make peace with.  It was a somewhat balmy day, and as I broke the stem in half, breathing in the comfort-inducing lemony aroma, it occurred to me that this would be perfect in ice cream.  I had picked some several months earlier to make a tea, which I sweetened with honey, and decided that the flavor combination was quite wonderful.  I settled on making some honey-lemongrass ice cream.  I decided to use a French vanilla ice cream base, and modified it to incorporate they honey and lemongrass.  Here is what I created:

Honey-Lemongrass Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart

2 stems  Lemongrass

1 each  Vanilla Bean (split and scraped)

2 cups  Milk

2 cups  Heavy Cream

8 each  Egg Yolks

1/2 cup  Granulated Sugar

1/3 to 1/2 cup  Honey (more for sweeter, less for more refreshing)

Pinch of Salt (I used a little of my Lavender-Rosebud Flavored Salt)

1. • Snip the Lemongrass stalk to remove any leaves, leaving only the thick bottom portion of the stalk.  Crush it with a meat hammer on a cutting board, and cut it into 2 inch pieces.
   

2. • Combine this with the Milk, Cream, Vanilla, and 1/2 of the Honey.
   

3. • Combine the Yolks, Sugar, and Salt and beat well with a whisk.
   

4. • Bring the Milk mixture to a boil and beat 1/2 of this mixture into the Yolks (to temper the mixture).  Put the rest of the Milk mixture back on the heat, turn it down to medium, and beat in the tempered Yolk mixture.
   

5. • Cook while constantly scraping the bottom and sides of the pan until the mixture thickens slightly. DO NOT LET THIS BOIL.  This is the same method used to make crème anglaise.
   

6. • Remove from heat and add the remaining Honey. Pour into a stainless steel bowl set in another bowl of ice, and stir until cool.
   

7. • Refrigerate this overnight to allow the flavor to ripen - this is important!
   

8. • Once ripened, strain the mixture and churn in your ice cream freezer until the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.  Freeze until firm.
   

This turned out absolutely wonderful.  I like it with a bit of flavored salt on top.  It has an initial pronounced honey flavor, and finishes with the citrusy lemongrass remaining on the palate.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with the upcoming lemongrass invasion.  I wonder if that Thai restaurant is still open ?

Enjoy in good health !

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