We went strawberry picking last week and have berries galore in our house. I love this time of year because there is truly nothing more delicious than a fresh strawberry. I’ve been making all kinds of treats with them and one of them was this delicious strawberry ice cream. It is perfect to enjoy on hot summer days. I love the way the fresh berry swirl complements the bracing mint. The flavors are an instant pick me up, just what I need after a whole day at the beach! —
Strawberry Mint Ice Cream
For the Ice Cream:
1 cup whole milk
3 eggs
%uFFFD cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
For the Strawberry Swirl:
3 tablespoons superfine sugar
%uFFFD cup water
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and
hulled
Juice of 1 small lemon
Makes about 6 cups
1. Heat the milk in a saucepan over
medium heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges. In a separate bowl, whisk
the eggs, sugar and peppermint extract. Ladle a small portion of the hot milk
mixture into the egg mixture and whisk constantly to incorporate. This will
help temper the eggs. Whisk in another small ladle of milk. Then, pour in the
remaining milk mixture and whisk to completely combine.
2. Pour the egg/milk mixture back into
the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until mixture thickens and is
thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove it from the heat, pour it into
a fresh bowl and whisk in the heavy cream until mixture is completely smooth.
Note: If you suspect lumps in your egg custard place a fine mesh sieve over the
bowl and pour the custard through it to catch any lumps, the whisk in the cream.
3. Place plastic wrap over glass bowl
and put it in the fridge to chill for at least 1-2 hours.
4. For the ripple, pour the water,
sugar and lemon juice into a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar is dissolved
and the mixture is slightly reduced – about 4 minutes. Place the strawberries
in a blender, pour in the sugar mixture and puree until smooth. Pour the
strawberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve to catch any seeds. Place in the
fridge next to the custard.
5. To make the ice-cream, pour custard
into ice-cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions. At the
very end of the churn cycle drizzle in the swirl for about 1 minute so it forms
a ribbon through the ice-cream, but doesn’t get too distributed. Alternatively,
you can fold in the ripple with a spoon or spatula. Freeze ice-cream until
ready to eat.
