Fresh, local strawberries are only ripe for a few weeks at the beginning of summer. Many find themselves freezing strawberries to enjoy for the rest of the year. There are several ways of freezing strawberries, but preparing them in a puree before freezing saves time later for many recipes.
Using freshly picked strawberries, wash and cut the caps off and place in a blender. Add sugar to taste. A good rule of thumb is to add one cup of sugar for each quart of puree, but it is left up to the individual. The puree can be used immediately, or stored in freezer cups in the freezer. The frozen puree should last four to six months.
Premium Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
This recipe uses an ice cream maker with a 1 1/2 quart capacity.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1cup strawberry puree, thawed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- juice from 1/2 lemon
Method:
- Pour whipping cream and milk into a pot or saucepan and heat on medium. Heat until it is just beginning to boil.
- In a bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla together until sugar is dissolved. The mixture should be light yellow in color.
- When cream mixture is hot enough, very slowly pour or ladle one-half of the cream into the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
- Return the rest of the cream to the burner and reduce the heat to medium low.
- Pour the contents of the bowl into the saucepan and stir. Stirring constantly, let the mixture cook until it is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
- Pour into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely. This can be done overnight.
- When chilled, add the strawberry puree and lemon juice. Mix the puree into the custard mixture. They do not have to be evenly stirred together.
- Place into the ice cream maker, using the manufacturer's instructions.
- After being churned, store the ice cream in the freezer for two hours to allow the ice cream to set and for the flavors to mingle.
Note: If using fresh strawberries for the puree instead of the frozen puree, add 3/4 cup of sugar at the beginning. This will make up for the sugar that is used to make the frozen puree.
A Faster Strawberry Ice Cream
For those who want a quick fix, follow this recipe which doesn't require cooking.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1cup strawberry puree, thawed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- juice from 1/2 lemon
Method: Stir together the milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir the lemon juice into the strawberry puree, then stir the puree, whipping cream and vanilla into the milk. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker, and let it mix for the time recommended by the manufacturer (usually 25 to 30 minutes). If desired, allow the ice cream to set in the freezer for 2 hours.
This ice cream won't be as rich and creamy, but it will make a quick, delicious treat.
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