Featuring the olive oil and an olive leaf based tea from the olives grown at their 350-acre orchard in the hills above Santa Barbara, Bel Lavoro founder and owner Kimberly Branum has created three new ice cream and sorbet recipes that will rival the favorite ice-cream and sorbet flavors that usually make it to the top of the traditional lists. “I realize that olive oil and tea aren’t the usual ingredients you think about when making an ice cream and sorbet, but it truly makes for a delicious blend,” notes Branum. “These three recipes are without a doubt my new favorite summertime treats.”
Featuring only fresh, organic ingredients with olive oil and olive leaf tea as their base, the three flavors include:
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Cut1886 Olive Oil Ice Cream
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Steep Echo Repose Tea Sorbet
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Cut1886 Olive Oil and Lemon Sorbet
Bel Lavoro Olive Oil Ice Cream
1 3/4 cups whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Special Equipment – An ice cream maker
Bring milk, cream, salt, and ½ cup sugar just to a simmer in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar; remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks and 2 Tbsp. sugar in a medium bowl until pale, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk ½ cup hot milk mixture into yolks. Whisk yolk mixture into remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2–3 minutes. Strain into a medium bowl set in a large bowl of ice water; whisk in oil. Let cool, stirring occasionally. Process custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to a container, cover, and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
Serve with fresh figs or add in some roasted pepitas or pine nuts for a twist.
Lemon and Olive Oil Sorbet
(This is seriously good)
3 cups water
2 cups sugar
Lemon zest from two lemons
1 1/2 cups of lemon juice
2/3 cups Cut1886 olive oil
Sea salt
Combine water, sugar and lemon zest and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to reduce liquid and create syrup (about 10 minutes). Cool to room temperature. Add lemon juice and olive oil. Process in ice cream maker.
The mixture will take additional time to set up and freeze due to the olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt lightly when serving.
Steep Echo Sorbet — Repose
Steep Echo teas take your sorbet to a new level. Instead of using water to create the base, I brew tea and create the syrup base from the reduction. Easy — but taste is fresh and refined.
4 cups of water
3 Steep Echo Repose sachets
1 cup sugar
Lemon zest (two lemons)
3/4 to 1 cup of lemon juice
In a medium saucepan, boil the water and add the facets to steep for 10 minutes. Remove sachets, add lemon zest and sugar. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes to reduce the mixture. Add lemon juice. I like tart over sweet so I would add 1 cup of lemon juice. If you would like a sweeter version — reduce to 3/4 cup. Process in ice cream maker. Garnish with mint leaves or rose petals.
“We couldn’t think of a better day to celebrate and share the benefits of using olive oil and olive leaf based teas for making ice-cream and sorbet than National Ice Cream Day,” notes Bel Lavoro founder and owner Kimberly Branum. “The flavors are perfectly refreshing making them the ideal summer treat.”
More about Cut1886 and Steep Echo Tea:
Cut1886 Extra Virgin Olive Oil:
Now delivering its first exclusive batch of 2500 cold-pressed bottles for sale, certified organic and harvested by hand, Cut1886 was blended by a Master Miller to extract the most beautiful flavor profiles and colors from the trees. Medium bodied with a mix of herb and nut flavors and a touch of spice, the oil is perfectly balanced, crafted from a small batch and in limited quantities based on the fruit yields and the health of the trees.
Steep Echo Tea:
Steep Echo is a collection of the finest all natural olive leaf teas. Each of the teas brings together hand-harvested organic olive leaf with a collection of natural botanicals curated by the best artisans in the trade. The fusion of these ingredients thoughtfully present a rare blend of detail, depth and nuance that elevates each flavor and accentuates the health benefits of the olive leaf.
Featuring five caffeine free blends (Tend, Ascent, Bloom, Hush and Repose) that have been tailored to match any moment. Steep Echo is one of very few tea makers worldwide to exclusively use the olive leaf for its production.
To find Bel Lavoro, one must venture onto a winding road leading to a hideaway and homestead that features over 350 olive trees growing naturally on the hills above the not-to-distant sea below. It is in this picturesque location that nature has delivered a well-spring that ends its journey at the orchard’s doorstep. Combined with a grow-friendly climate that mixes cool ocean breezes with the warm sunlight, Bel Lavoro finds itself in the exact right spot in which to create the organic olives that have become the main ingredient in its two new artisan, olive-based products.
About Bel Lavoro:
Owned and operated by the Branum family, Bel Lavoro was purchased sight unseen by this then Seattle-based family in 2010, and upon their first visit, the Branum’s discovered that olive trees surrounded their new home. After years of research, education and trial (and error), Kimberly Branum and her son Brandon dedicated themselves to developing products that are harvested by hand through timeless practices. Their calling has become their occupation and today they are ready to share the fruits of the labor: a collection of the finest organic teas and oils, drawn from fruits, vegetables and herbs irrigated by natural spring water.
Featuring the olive oil and an olive leaf based tea from the olives grown at their 350-acre orchard in the hills above Santa Barbara, Bel Lavoro founder and owner Kimberly Branum has created three new ice cream and sorbet recipes that will rival the favorite ice-cream and sorbet flavors that usually make it to the top of the traditional lists. “I realize that olive oil and tea aren’t the usual ingredients you think about when making an ice cream and sorbet, but it truly makes for a delicious blend,” notes Branum. “These three recipes are without a doubt my new favorite summertime treats.”Featuring only fresh, organic ingredients with olive oil and olive leaf tea as their base, the three flavors include:
Lemon and Olive Oil Sorbet(This is seriously good)3 cups water2 cups sugarLemon zest from two lemons1 1/2 cups of lemon juice2/3 cups Cut1886 olive oilSea saltCombine water, sugar and lemon zest and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to reduce liquid and create syrup (about 10 minutes). Cool to room temperature. Add lemon juice and olive oil. Process in ice cream maker.The mixture will take additional time to set up and freeze due to the olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt lightly when serving.
Cut1886 Extra Virgin Olive Oil:Now delivering its first exclusive batch of 2500 cold-pressed bottles for sale, certified organic and harvested by hand, Cut1886 was blended by a Master Miller to extract the most beautiful flavor profiles and colors from the trees. Medium bodied with a mix of herb and nut flavors and a touch of spice, the oil is perfectly balanced, crafted from a small batch and in limited quantities based on the fruit yields and the health of the trees.