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This creamy homemade strawberry ice cream is loaded with fresh strawberries, making it the perfect spring/summer dessert.
It is officially strawberry season here in Maryland. So what does that mean? It means finding a local farm and picking fresh strawberries.
Recently for us, it meant going a little overboard in picking those strawberries. Lauren and I recently went to a farm called Baugher's and might have picked 20 pounds of strawberries.
Needless to say we were trying to come up with ways to use all the fresh strawberries we had. One was making a strawberry gin smash, which I shared recently. Another recipe involving strawberries I'll be sharing soon, but today's post is about strawberry ice cream.
When trying to come up with ideas to use our strawberries, Lauren immediately suggest ice cream. For anyone that knows her, that should come as no surprise as she's an ice cream fanatic. So we immediately went to our ice cream cookbooks for inspiration. Yes we have multiple ice cream cookbooks.
We decided to combine a few different recipes to what I must say is a fantastic homemade strawberry ice cream.
When I make ice cream these days, it is at the top of the list as well as graham cracker ice cream, malted cookie dough ice cream and vanilla bean ice cream. Now it could be because we just picked them fresh, but maybe you should make it yourself to find out.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Heavy cream - high fat content creates the creamy texture you expect.
- Milk - whole milk is just as important for the fat.
- Eggs - gives extra richness and stabilizes the homemade ice cream.
- Granulated sugar - makes the ice cream sweet.
- Xanthan gum - helps reduce crystals when ice cream freezes.
- Vanilla extract - enhances the flavor.
- Strawberries - fresh is better, but frozen work too.
- Milk - whole milk is just as important for the fat.
- helps balance the strawberries.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. In medium saucepan, heat milk and heave cream over medium-low heat until it reaches 170°F. You'll want to stir occasionally so a skin doesn't form.
2. Whisk egg yolks in medium bowl. Gradually add sugar and xanthan gum and whisk until mixture is thick and pale.
3. Now you'll want to temper the egg yolks. Gradually add 1 cup of the hot milk mixture at a time to the egg yolks, whisking constantly.
4. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat until the temperature reaches 185°F. You'll want to stir constantly.
5. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and let cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes. Place in airtight container in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
6. With ice cream base in fridge, make strawberry mixture. In a medium saucepan, add strawberries, sugar and lemon juice and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook until strawberries are softened and starting to turn to syrup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to airtight container and place in fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
7. Add ¾ of the strawberry mixture to blender or food process, saving a ¼ of it for later. Add ½ of the ice cream base and blend until strawberries are incorporated.
8. Mix in remaining ice cream base with blended strawberry ice cream.
9. Pour the mixture into ice cream maker and mix according to manufacturer's instructions. Mine takes between 20-25 minutes.
10. Keep an eye on mixture for when it starts to turn creamy.
11. With about 5 minutes left, pour the remaining strawberry mixture into the ice cream and continue to mix for 5 minutes or until ice cream is ready.
12. Pour ice cream into container and freeze in freezer for 4+ hours or until it reaches a desired consistency.
What Ice Cream Maker Do You Use?
It may be the cheapest one available, but the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker is super simple to use and makes the best ice cream at home.
Can I Use Frozen Strawberries?
Yes you can use the same amount of frozen strawberries as you would fresh strawberries.
Why Use Xanthan Gum in Ice Cream?
Xanthan gum helps stabilize the ice cream and prevents ice crystals from forming. The usual problem with homemade ice cream is it will only lasts a couple of days before ice crystals form. But the xanthan gum helps battle this.
Why Cook the Eggs?
Eggs are actually standard in most ice creams. They add color and flavor, while also preventing ice crystallization. However you have to cook the eggs to 185°F to make sure you kill any bacteria like salmonella. Yes it is an extra step but worth it!
Can You Make Ice Cream with Half-and-Half Instead of Heavy Cream?
You can although I highly recommend trying to use whole milk and heavy cream as the high fat content creates the creamy texture when the ice cream is cooled. Nearly any type of milk will work, and you can substitute half-and-half for the cream. But just keep in mind, it won't be as creamy and could get icy.
Homemade Ice Cream Tips
- Use the Best Ingredients - when making ice cream you want to use the best ingredients possible so use free-range eggs and organic milk and cream. Also use high quality products when it comes to added flavorings like vanilla or chocolate. Never use imitation vanilla.
- Don't Cut the Fat and Calories - ice cream is not the dessert that you should be cutting the fat. It depends on the high-fat content to create a creamy texture. If you go lower fat, it will cause an icy ice cream. If you're on a diet, just have a smaller scoop!
- Add Extract at Right Time - if you add an extract or alcohol while the custard is too hot, you won't get the actual flavor as it will cook out slightly. Just wait until right before you pour the custard into the ice cream maker to add it.
- Chill the Custard - you don't necessarily need to chill the custard overnight, but you want to chill until it is as cold as possible.
- Use Frozen Bowl - make sure your ice cream bowl has been frozen for at least 24 hours, otherwise you aren't giving the ice cream a great chance of freeze.
- Start Ice Cream Motor First - do not pour the custard in the frozen bowl before starting the ice cream maker. It will start freezing upon contact. You want the motor running and slowly pour the custard in.
- Add Mix-Ins at the End - never add your mix-ins at the beginning of the process. You want to add them when it looks like there is about a minute left in the churning process.
- Don't Overchurn - always error on the side of caution when it comes to churning your ice cream. You do not want it to be hard. Remember it will continue to freeze once you place in the freezer.
- Keep It Creamy - homemade ice cream can turn hard as we don't add preservatives, however Xanthan gum or a couple tbsp of vodka will help keep it creamy.
Other Dessert Recipes
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
- Cookies 'n' Cream Ice Cream
- Dark Chocolate Gelato
If you’ve tried this homemade strawberry ice cream or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Strawberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (half a lemon)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasional so a skin doesn't form. You want the temperature to reach 170°F.
- While heating milk/cream mixture, whisk egg yolks in medium bowl. Gradually add ⅔ cup of sugar and xanthan gum and whisk until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper egg yolks by slowly pouring 1 cup hot milk mixture at a time, whisking constantly. Return egg yolk mixture to to saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until the custard reaches a temperature of 185°F. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes. Once room temperature, cover and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- In a medium saucepan, add strawberries, ¼ cup of sugar and lemon juice. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Place saucepan over medium heat and cook until strawberries are softened completely and the syrup just starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to airtight contain and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Add ¾ of the strawberry mixture to a blender or food processor, saving ¼ of it for later. Add half of the ice cream base and vanilla extract to the blender and blend until it is fully incorporated with strawberries. Mix in remaining ice cream base.
- Pour mixture into ice cream maker and mix according to manufacturer's instructions. (every ice cream maker will be different. Ours takes about 20-25 mins) With 5 minutes left, add remaining strawberry mixture to ice cream machine. Once desired consistency, pour ice cream into a container and freeze in freezer for 4+ hours to get a desired consistency.
Notes
- Use the Best Ingredients - when making ice cream you want to use the best ingredients possible so use free-range eggs and organic milk and cream. Also use high quality products when it comes to added flavorings like vanilla or chocolate. Never use imitation vanilla.
- Don't Cut the Fat and Calories - ice cream is not the dessert that you should be cutting the fat. It depends on the high-fat content to create a creamy texture. If you go lower fat, it will cause an icy ice cream. If you're on a diet, just have a smaller scoop!
- Add Extract at Right Time - if you add an extract or alcohol while the custard is too hot, you won't get the actual flavor as it will cook out slightly. Just wait until right before you pour the custard into the ice cream maker to add it.
- Chill the Custard - you don't necessarily need to chill the custard overnight, but you want to chill until it is as cold as possible.
- Use Frozen Bowl - make sure your ice cream bowl has been frozen for at least 24 hours, otherwise you aren't giving the ice cream a great chance of freeze.
- Start Ice Cream Motor First - do not pour the custard in the frozen bowl before starting the ice cream maker. It will start freezing upon contact. You want the motor running and slowly pour the custard in.
- Add Mix-Ins at the End - never add your mix-ins at the beginning of the process. You want to add them when it looks like there is about a minute left in the churning process.
- Don't Overchurn - always error on the side of caution when it comes to churning your ice cream. You do not want it to be hard. Remember it will continue to freeze once you place in the freezer.
- Keep It Creamy - homemade ice cream can turn hard as we don't add preservatives, however Xanthan gum or a couple tbsp of vodka will help keep it creamy.
Chris says
Love me some strawberry ice cream!
Karly says
Yum! Need to try!