Bring on Summer! {recipe: Strawberry Ice Cream}

We've had the strangest month of June here in New Jersey.  It's was blazing hot a few days, then all of a sudden we got some rain and the idea of wearing shorts was out of the question.  With a winter that was long and cold, I've been anxiously waiting for the real summer weather to begin.

The kids got out of school just last week so, it was time to kick into homemade ice cream making gear! They've been asking for months for me to make ice cream, but I held them off because I wanted it to be a special treat in the warm, summer months.

My mom-in-law brought up some beautiful strawberries that she bought at Costco, and My Oldest had been begging for me to make strawberry ice cream so, that was the first flavor I dove into this year (not really, but the 1st one needs tweaking before I share it here).  My scoops were a little lopsided, but that just made it so you had to dig in a little faster so the scoop didn't fall off!

This is a recipe I found in a cookbook I bought last year and made some lovely recipes from last year, The Craft of Baking.  The first time I made strawberry ice cream, it was based on a recipe that came with my ice cream maker.  I have to tell you that this recipe is so much better, definitely creamier and you will find it hard to resist going back for another scoop!  It also makes a bit more so you can get more scoops!

The way this is made does require some pre-planning.  You'll want to cook your strawberries and custard and allow it several hours to cool before adding to your ice cream maker.  It'll be worth the time and effort.

Here are some other ice cream ideas you may want to try:
Add a Pinch:  Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream
How Sweet It Is: Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream

Strawberry Ice Cream

Adapted from The Craft of Baking

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 9 large egg yolks
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Cooking Directions

1. Combine 1/2 cup of sugar with the prepared berries - combine to coat all berries with sugar. Allow to sit for at least one hour.
2. Pour the strawberry mixture into a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Strain the juice from the strawberries. Refrigerate the strawberries and the strained juice (separately) for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
4. Whisk the egg yolks with 6 tablespoons of the sugar in a glass bowl.
5. Combine milk, cream and 6 tablespoons of sugar with the vanilla bean paste in a saucepan until it comes to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, remove from heat.
6. Slowly pour about a cup of the custard into the egg mixture, whisking the whole time to temper the eggs. Add back into the remaining custard mixture and whisk in the salt.
7. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture is very cold - 8 hours to overnight.
8. Combine the strawberry juice and the custard mixture (I also added a few drops of red food coloring to ensure that it would be pink enough) and freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the machines instructions.
9. Once the ice cream has been churned, fold in the strawberries and pour into a container with an airtight seal. Freeze until firm.

Note:  The link to the cookbook will take you to Amazon where you can find out more about it and purchase if you choose.  I receive a small referral fee if you do purchase via this link.


Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.