What says summer like fresh strawberry ice cream? We had the mix for this ice cream chilling in the fridge Tuesday night when we opened up the Times and saw that Melissa Clark agrees. She went on the hunt for a strawberry ice cream recipe that has swirls of fresh fruit but somehow avoids strawberries' tendency to freeze into unpleasantly icy chunks. Her final version involves folding strawberries and their cooked syrup in at the last moment and eating immediately for that soft-serve, fresh strawberry texture.
But what if that's not an option? What if you want to sneak spoonfuls of delicately creamy strawberry ice cream from the freezer for a few nights running?
This recipe solves Clark's problem in a different way - we cook the berries with sugar and lemon juice, stewing out some of the water and concentrating their flavor. The resulting ice cream is full of strawberry with no ice in sight.
We also added a handful of cacao nibs to contrast against the sugary sweetness of custard and strawberries; their deep, slightly bitter cocoa crunch elevates this ice cream to our favorite so far this summer...
Strawberry Ice Cream with Cacao Nibs
about 2 quarts
4 cups half and half (or 2 cups cream and 2 cups whole milk)
1 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 pound strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Kirsch or rum
Juice of one lemon
1/3 cup cacao nibs
Whisk the the half and half together with the sugar in a 4 quart saucepan and heat just until bubbles form around the edges. Whisk the egg yolks thoroughly in a separate bowl and temper with about a cup of hot cream. Whisk then add back to the half and half. Cook over medium heat, stirring steadily, until the custard reaches 170F and coats the back of a spoon. Don't let it boil - you'll end up with scrambled eggs. Stir in the vanilla, cover and put in the fridge to cool overnight.
Clean and hull the strawberries. Chop half the berries into eighths or small bits. Puree the other half in a food processor. Combine the liquified berries and the chopped berries, and stir in the sugar, Kirsch, and lemon juice. Put in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes, or until slightly reduced and shiny. Put in the fridge to cool overnight.
Run the cream mixture through the ice cream machine for about 30 minutes. At the end, pour in the cold strawberry mixture and the cacao nibs. Fold in by hand if necessary. Freeze for at least four hours before serving.
Good lord. I actually shouted out loud when I saw the picture of this ice cream on Taste Spotting. It looks and sounds beyond amazing! I love real cacao nibs, and the strawberries look superb! All I can think of saying is mmmmm....I want that right now.
view Chew On That's profile
Something to keep in mind is that the mixture shouldn't go above 174, otherwise it will curdle, even if it's not boiling just yet!
And adding a few tablespoons of Vodka to your mix of berries at the end helps keep them from freezing in your final product... I have kept homemade strawberry gelato in my home freezer for up to a month without getting frozen bits!
view sarahrae's profile
Is that dish from Crate and Barrel? It looks like the ones I got, only mine are green. :)
view Marbargarbo's profile
Margagarbo - good spot! Yes it is. On clearance I believe, and added to the wild jungle of mismatched props (er, bowls) in my cupboard.
sarahrae - yes, I often add alcohol to frozen fruit too. And yes, egg yolks curdle at 175, although McGee suggests adding a bit of flour to limit that. The trick with custards is to get as close to curdling as possible without actually doing it. The more cooked the yolk, the more creamy and thick the custard.
view faith's profile
do you think the cacao nibs would work in a blueberry ice cream also? any suggestions for a blueberry recipe?
thanks!
view sark's profile
Sark - I think cacao nibs would be lovely with blueberries (hello, antioxidants!). Just sub blueberries for the strawberries here. Or you can try this frozen yogurt:
http://kitchen.apartmenttherapy.com/food/dessert/recipe-honeyed-blueberry-frozen-yogurt-024817
view faith's profile
thanks faith - i think i'll try the blueberries both ways. if i sub them into this ice cream, should i puree and cook them first like the strawberries, or just puree them (as in the yogurt recipe)?
also, i just made this recipe with the strawberries, and wow! i substituted a combo of 2% and whole goat's milk for the (regular cow) half and half, and it worked wonderfully - nice and creamy!
view sark's profile
I just made this and replaced the cocoa nibs (couldn't find any) with chunks of dark bittersweet chocolate and the result is fantastic! Those June strawberries are amazing.
view Eve in Hochelaga's profile