Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

We learned all about making ice cream, sorbets, and sherbets in class recently. I've been able to make or try all of the following ice creams: Strawberry, Chocolate and Peanut Butter, Orange Creamsicle, and Banana with Candied Pecans to name a few.

I've had an ice cream maker sitting in my basement collecting dust for the past 5 years until now. Learning how to make a homemade ice cream base and being able to turn it into any flavor I want completely sparked my interest. Oh, and did I tell you how good it was??? All the flavors I had were just amazing! I believe the Orange Creamsicle may have been my favorite but I would give them all very good ratings!

After class that day I rushed home, went straight to my basement and dug up my ice cream maker. It's one of those small ones where you put the inside canister into the freezer for overnight or longer. It's the perfect size for my family of 4 and we still had some leftovers. I had a hard time deciding which flavor to make so I went with my hubby and son's favorite: Strawberry. There will be lots more ice cream making in the new future. I don't care if summer is over. Ice cream is good any time of the year! :)

Note: I made 1/2 a recipe and was able to get two batches out of it with my small ice cream maker.



Ice Cream Base
Source: On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals

1 1/2 quarts Whole Milk
1 pint Heavy Cream
1 Vanilla Bean, split in half (optional)
10 oz. Egg Yolks (16 Yolks)
20 oz. Sugar

1. Combine the milk and cream in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the vanilla bean (if using).

2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a mixing bowl.

3. Temper the eggs with one-third of the hot milk. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan.

4. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 180°F–185°F (82°C–85°C) and is slightly thickened. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl.

5. Chill the cooked ice cream base completely and then add any additional flavorings*.

Yield: 2 1/2 quarts


* To make Strawberry Ice Cream:
1. Wash and hull 1 1/2 quarts of fresh strawberries.

2. Puree in food processer. (If you take a little sugar out of the ice cream base recipe and add it to the strawberries, it acts as a sandpaper and helps the pureeing process.)

3. Strain the puree to remove all the seeds.

4. Add to chilled ice cream base and stir well.

5. If time allows, put the ice cream mixture in air tight container and refrigerate overnight. This helps the flavors to develop even more.

6. Pour the mixture into an ice cream/sorbet machine and process according to the manufacturer’s directions.