Thursday, June 29, 2006

The ice cream project: strawberry ice cream

Strawberries

As a rule I avoid strawberry ice cream. My most frequent encounter with it over the years has been in cheap Neapolitan scooped out of paper boxes at birthday parties, cold culinary proof that 0x3=0. But the other day I went shopping twice, first at the supermarket and then at the farmer's market. I bought a pound of California strawberries at the former--on sale, the kid likes them--and then another pound of Wisconsin strawberries, smaller, redder, softer, brighter, sweeter, cuter, and a thousand times juicer, at the latter. They're the ones you see above. After noshing on a few of these while I canvassed the market for fresh peas, the little man's arms had bright red rivulets running almost to the elbows and his fingernails were stained.

Because I hadn't planned ahead with this ice cream I had to go with the ingredients on hand. Thus I used reduced fat milk instead of half and half. I added sour cream because I like to balance the sweetness of the fruit with some acidity. I always add sour cream to my whipped cream when I'm going to be dipping fresh strawberries in it and I thought it would work well here.

I would not make this recipe with anything other than the freshest local crop on the far side of ripe. If it means having strawberry ice cream only once a year, that's what it means.

Strawberry ice cream
10.25 oz. fresh strawberries (measured after being rinsed and hulled)
4 egg yolks
5 oz. vanilla sugar
3/4 C 2% milk
3/4 C heavy cream
1/4 C sour cream

Puree the strawberries in a food processor. Whisk the yolks in a bowl, slowly adding the sugar until pale and quite thick. Warm the milk and cream in a saucepan just to a simmer, then temper in the egg-sugar mixture. Heat to 170, stir in sour cream, whisk to blend, and pour into a bowl. Strain the fruit puree into the custard (I know what you're thinking but I would never skip this step) and mix well. Chill, churn, freeze, eat, smile.

5 Comments:

Blogger Jen said...

Mmm sounds good. If you are looking for a grocery store type I recommend Breyers vanilla ice cream with strawberries (real ones). Very yummy.

1:41 PM  
Blogger the chocolate doctor מרת שאקאלאד said...

This sounds wonderful, and I am with you in the small but fierce minority of strawberry-strainers. Who can bite through their little bodies?

5:53 PM  
Blogger Gourmetish said...

I've never had fresh strawberry ice cream and I detest the store bought kind. However, I can imagine that the fresh strawberry ice cream would be totally different and totally worth the effort. Strawberries in my area have already started to fade but I'm sure they'll come back around and I will have to try your recipe!

4:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Go strainers. Strainers rule.

Individual frozen strawberries in ice cream are nasty little ice chunks of misery, and taste like cardboard.
Cherries, on the other hand, do fine barely chopped. It is a mystery, but must be accepted.

10:49 PM  
Blogger the chocolate doctor מרת שאקאלאד said...

Hi, Me again,

Just pureed the berries. I have 2 and 1/4 cups before straining. I will use seven yolks so as to have seven whites for chocolate cake. Hope to be reporting soon.

12:27 AM  

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