I grew up in Maine and absolutely love where I come from. For the most part, the people are kind and value hard work, integrity, and authenticity. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I can explore vast woods and cold rock beaches in the same afternoon. This week I’ve been deeply immersed in Maine, helping my dad with a landscaping project. I made this pine ice cream recipe to celebrate Maine and to reminisce on my recent travels to Italy. 

Ice Cream with Pine Needles

Yes, if you’re wondering, you can eat pine needles! Not straight up. But if you infuse them into a cream or a sauce, it has a gin-rosemary like flavor. It tastes like the smell of Christmas trees. Which is probably my favorite smell. I actually tried a pine ice cream (gelato) recipe in Rome, at the train station. They have a central food market in Rome that connects to the trains. They sell pizzas, pastas, suppli, salads, gelatos. We had an hour to kill before catching our train back to Florence one day, so we stopped to try some gelato. 

The first one we tried was chocolate and blue cheese, which sounds awful. But it was delicious! The woman working at the stand told us that she makes all of the flavors herself, and loves to come up with creative flavor combos. The chocolate was sweet and perfectly balanced with the tang and bitterness of the cheese. Next, we tried pine ice cream, which excited me a lot. It felt like a taste of home. The flavor was paired with subtle citrus and reminded me of a gin and tonic, which is my drink of choice. It tasted like home, and I was shocked that I’d never had pine ice cream in Maine. 

Working in the Woods

I haven’t made gelato or ice cream since returning home, mostly because it’s been cold. There’s been wind storms and snow and blankets and candles, but now spring has sprung. Whenever the weather changes I start craving cold foods, so I decided to make a simple gelato this week to keep in the freezer this summer. After working on a property with my dad for hours upon hours, picking up sticks, raking, cutting down trees, and lifting 200 pound logs, I desperately wanted a treat. We drove past a farm stand with fresh eggs on the way home, and it gave me the idea to make gelato!

I still had pine pitch on my hands and clothes when I got home. Everything smelled like trees. As I stood at the bathroom sink, I thought of the gelatos we ate in Italy and how badly I wanted something cold, tangy, and refreshing. So, I did a quick google search and found out that pine needles are at their most potent at the beginning of spring. I bought some farm-fresh eggs and whole milk on a drive the next day. Then, I was in my backyard plucking pine needles off of tree branches. I collected a pile of them, washed them, and inhaled the intoxicating smell. So excited to make pine ice cream for the first time. 

Pine Ice Cream Recipe

I started by heating up whole milk in a saucepan and infusing the pine needles for a couple hours. Soon the house smelled like pine, and the liquid slowly started to turn a pale green. Fun fact – gelato is differentiated from ice cream because it has less eggs, and uses whole milk instead of heavy cream. In Sicily, gelato is made with cream, sugar, and cornstarch to thicken. It takes on a luxurious creamy texture that makes it harder to freeze, but less icy and more smooth. The gelatos I tried in Italy were all scrumptious, and it felt like nearly every day I had a scoop or two. Some of our favorites were the lemon sorbet at a small restaurant in the countryside, paired with a tempered chocolate disc garnish. Pistachio gelato was a hit pretty much everywhere.

Once the cream was infused with the pine needles, I strained the liquid into a bowl through a fine-mesh strainer. In another bowl, I combined my egg yolks, sugar, and a little cornstarch to create a gelato/ice cream hybrid. I like the fat and the richness of the egg yolks but I cut out most of them (typically you’d use 5-6 in an ice cream recipe). The cornstarch and whole milk help the custard take on a more gelato-like consistency. After whisking the hot cream into the egg/sugar mixture, I returned the mixture to the stove, straining once again to remove any small clumps of eggs or pine. I cooked the custard on medium heat for a bit, whisking vigorously to thicken the mixture into a viscous custard. Then, I strained the mixture once more and transferred it to the fridge to sit overnight. 

Churning the Chilled Custard

I woke up the next day like it was Christmas, so excited to make my pine ice cream recipe. I ran down to the basement freezer where I keep my ice cream machine bowl and placed it in the machine. With a flip of a switch, I heard the familiar loud hum of churning, and poured my custard into the machine. Soon I could smell the pine and peeked in to see a pastel green ice cream start to thicken, so I tasted it. It was full of pine flavor and reminded me of that Christmas tree smell I love. But also balanced with sweetness and cream and a cold temperature.

The flavor reminds me so much of the one I tried in Rome. I’ll spare you the story of transferring the ice cream to the freezer and waiting impatiently for it to firm up. Trying to make a rocher with one spoon and a murky cup of hot water. I also made a maple tulle to garnish. But, all I wanted to do was eat the ice cream on its own. My body was exhausted after lifting trees and rolling logs in the sun, and after many failed attempts to plate fancy Michelin star quality dishes, I decided to just say screw perfection. I found a beautiful old wooden bowl and scooped a ball of ice cream with a metal scoop. Then, I garnished it with a sprig of pine. Ironically, it looked way better than my other attempts. I enjoyed it in front of the TV, watching Masterchef Australia. 

Embracing Simplicity

This was a really fun recipe to make (for the most part) and taught me a lot about ice cream and gelato. It felt so nostalgic and comforting to eat the dish I tried in Rome, but infused with pine needles from my own back yard in Maine. This feels like a really special, unique dish that celebrates my favorite place on earth. I know it sounds like an odd flavor, or a weird recipe, but I promise it tastes amazing. In the summer you could pour lemon lime soda on top! For now I’ll be recovering from my sore muscles and trying to give myself a break from perfectionism. 

If you enjoy this recipe and my paintings, you can check out hundreds of recipes and art prints on Etsy! Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Thanks so much for reading.

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Maine Pine Ice Cream

An Italian ice cream recipe infused with Maine pine needles

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword gelato, gelato recipes

Prep Time 1 day day 2 hours hours

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup pine needles
• 2 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

• Start by picking pine needles from a pine tree. Make sure the tree has never been treated with chemicals. Look for verdant, green sprigs without brown spots.
• In a medium/large saucepan, heat whole milk over medium-low.
• Clean pine needles in a bowl of warm water, gently scrubbing to remove dirt. Strain and add needles, not stems, to milk.
• Cook over low-medium for 2 hours, monitoring the milk to prevent it from scalding or burning. Stir frequently.
• When your milk is infused, strain out pine needles and return milk to sauce pan.
• In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, salt, sugar, and corn starch. Whisk until homogenous.
• Slowly pour hot milk into egg mixture, about 1/3 cup at a time, while whisking to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Gradually add more until all the milk is combined into the mixture.
• Return mixture to saucepan. If you had any burnt bits or residual pine in the pot, wash before returning your mixture.
• Heat mixture in saucepan over medium-high. The mixture should begin to bubble and steam. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens into a thin pudding-like texture, about 7-10 minutes.
• Remove from heat and strain the mixture one more time into a clean bowl or pyrex measuring cup. Chill custard in the fridge overnight with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the custard and again over the bowl. If you want to make the gelato the same day, chill for 4-6 hours and transfer to freezer for the last 20 minutes.
• Prepare your ice cream machine. Transfer chilled custard to machine and churn for 30-40 minutes until thick.
• Transfer thickened gelato to a pint container and store in the freezer.

Notes

• If you don’t have an ice cream machine, you can spread your cooled custard onto a chilled sheet pan. Place in freezer and mix the gelato mixture every 30 minutes until set. Then, transfer to a pint container and freeze. 
• Pine needles are at their best in Spring. You can also dehydrate pine needles and store them for winter and make this recipe during the holidays!
• This gelato would pair well with a waffle cone for added crunch and sweetness, or a touch of Maine maple syrup.