HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

Well, the old laptop is still hanging in there (as I am able to limp along and post today), but it’s certainly not going to last much longer – BUGGER! So…I broke down and built a custom Dell Laptop for myself. I guess you could say that I am trying to do my part in “boosting the economy”, right? Hehe

Anyway, the weather is finally beginning to show signs of the end of summer being near. We have had such glorious weather, for the most part, so I really can’t complain too much about the recent rain and cold snaps. Yesterday was warm again but today it’s “pissing down” as my hubby likes to say. (Gotta love those Kiwi & Aussie expressions, eh?).

In any case, I am still making and adoring the Melon Granita recipe I recently discovered in Foodtown Magazine, but I also made this ice cream and just procrastinated typing out the recipe because it was going to take some time – something I have been a bit short on of late. Nevertheless though, here it is and it is well worth a try…next time I may even try it with blueberries instead…since there seem to be plenty of those still around the place for a decent price.

Here you go…

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Milk
1½ Cups Cream
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence/Extract
5 Egg Yolks
130 Gm (4½ oz) Caster Sugar/Superfine Granule Sugar
500 Gm (1 Lb) Fresh Strawberries
60 Gm (2 oz) Caster Sugar, measured separately from the rest
1 Tsp Lemon Juice


DIRECTIONS:

Assuming you have frozen your ice cream tub overnight, the first step to making the ice cream is to make the crème anglaise or custard.

First mix your milk, cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan and heat to nearly at a boil.

As this is heating slowly and you are occasionally stirring it to keep it from burning, quickly whisk the egg yolks & sugar together in a separate bowl (medium-sized) until they become creamy and a pale yellow colour.

Just before the milk mixture boils, remove it from the heat and slowly whisk it into the egg yolk and sugar bowl and stir until it is well combined.

Now, pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook it over a medium low heat until it thickens to coat the back of a spoon.

At this point, transfer the mixture into a shallow glass dish to cool and refrigerate for several hours until it is well chilled all the way through.

While the custard is cooling, remove all of the strawberry stems and leaves and puree them in a blender or food processor until very smooth.

Pour the puree into a small saucepan through a sieve to remove as many seeds as possible, then add the additional sugar.

Stir this over a low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved then add the lemon juice and mix well.

Increase the heat and boil the fruit for about 6 minutes or until it has reduced to about 1 cup, stirring occasionally.

Now chill this mixture for several hours as well.

Once the custard and jam are well chilled, combine them in a bowl and turn the ice cream maker on (prevents the paddle from freezing to the tub) before pouring the mix into the frozen tub in the machine.

Now you sit and wait for it to freeze and become thicker.

Once it has reached the desired consistency, transfer the ice cream into an airtight container and enjoy!!!

The ice cream will take a while to get to a “soft serve” consistency, but will freeze into “scoopable” tub after a few hours in the freezer.

Have fun!