Strawberry Ice Cream

Homemade ice cream is so much fun! 

Regular vanilla?  Awesome.

Vanilla with added Andes mints chips?  Delicious.

After I made the Very Chocolate Ice Cream, Grant and I were convinced it was really unbeatable.

And then Annika asked for strawberry ice cream for her birthday and I combined a couple of simple recipes and made this.  

Chocolate lovers that we are, I couldn't have been more surprised than when Grant declared that this strawberry ice cream was better than the chocolate.  And he should know, he had just cleaned out the container with the remaining chocolate ice cream in it to make room in the freezer for the strawberry.  

It is amazing.  

Fruity.

Creamy.

Smooth and perfect. 

I made it with fresh berries, but since strawberry season is really over, I am sure I'll be trying it out with frozen (thawed) berries at some point.  I'll be sure to update this post with the results when I do. 

Note:  This nearly overflowed my 2 quart ice cream maker, so if your maker is smaller, please reduce the quantity of ingredients to what seems appropriate or make it in 2 batches. 

Recipe: (inspired by the Cuisinart Recipe book)

1 lb. fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

1 cup milk (I use whole milk)

1-1/4 cups sugar, divided

3 cups heavy cream

1-1/2 t. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Place berries in blender with 1/4 cup of sugar and puree until smooth.  If you prefer your ice cream to have chunks of berries, feel free to just mash them instead - but I don't know what that would do to the overall texture of the ice cream.  

In a separate bowl, combine milk and remaining 1 cup sugar.  With a hand mixer, beat on medium speed for a few minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Don't stop too early!  It will make your ice cream grainy if the sugar isn't dissolved.  Add cream, vanilla, salt, and strawberry puree.  Stir to combine.  

Pour into prepared ice cream maker and freeze as directed in your manual.  

Serve immediately as soft serve, or put in a freezer-safe container and freeze until hardened, a couple of hours at least.  

No, it's obviously not low calorie.  

Or low fat.

But it is worth every bite.  I promise!