My love of food and cooking may pop up here now and then. I realize this really has nothing to do with weddings so I’ll keep the food stuff to a minimum. But sometimes I get all impressed with myself when I discover something particularly good and want to share (brag) a little about what I just made. Today it is Strawberry ice cream brightened with the addition of really yummy balsamic vinegar.
Vinegar you ask? Why yes, I said vinegar.
Just like a simple salad that has been made with a vinaigrette and sliced strawberries, this ice cream takes that sweet-tart loveliness and makes it dessert instead.
If you really want a wedding tie-in here, might I suggest an Ice Cream Social party as a bridal shower idea? Homemade ice creams with beautiful toppings for your guests to indulge in. I can just see the cute ice cream parlor theme with little printed napkins and straws from Delphine Press. But I digress…
Today we take a trip today to the local Farmers Market and go get busy in the kitchen!
Strawberry ice cream with balsamic vinegar
Recipe Source: adapted from DeliciousDays.com
Prep/cooking time: about 30 min., plus chilling and freezing
Ingredients: the better the ingredients, the better the ice cream!
1 pint or approximately 2 cups whole organic fresh strawberries,
cleaned and hulled & sliced
Scant pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar loosely packed
1 cup 2% milk (organic, hormone free, etc…)
2 egg yolks (super fresh pasture-raised eggs if you can find them)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup whipping cream (not whipped – organic, hormone free, etc…)
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (the best you can afford)
1-1/2 oz Kirsch
Strawberries
Put cleaned strawberries, salt, brown sugar and about 2 tablespoons of water in a pan on med-low heat. Cook down strawberries to a mushy state but still with some solids/texture about 5-8 minutes once it comes to a low boil. Stir constantly. The more sugar you add the less “icy” your fruit will be when frozen. I don’t mind a little bit of frozen fruit so I keep the sugar low. You could add another 1/4 cup brown sugar to this if you hate frozen fruit. Take off heat, set aside to cool.
(If you don’t want any solid fruit in your ice cream puree mixture after cooling with stick blender.)
Custard
Blend the cold milk, white sugar and egg yokes in a metal bowl. Place bowl and contents over boiling water in a small saucepan (smaller than bowl). Bring water in pan to a boil under your bowl while constantly stirring the custard mixture. Custard will thicken to coat the back of a spoon. Don’t overcook, all you need is the eggs to thicken the milk, not make pudding.
Take custard off heat and mix in cold whipping cream. Mix in cooled strawberry mixture, Season to taste with a good aged balsamic vinegar (don’t overdo it, you only want a pleasant hint) and refrigerate until chilled. At least 2 hours.
If you need more help on custard: Try Here – She uses a slightly different technique than I do here, but it works just the same.
Ice Cream
Pour the custard into an ice cream maker, add Kirsch (keeps mixture from freezing too hard later in your freezer) and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When done processing, quickly divide ice cream in two or three containers. Freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.
Note: The cooked strawberry base can be frozen for future use. Then just make your custard and add defrosted sauce to make your ice cream. This is a great way to use up that giant flat of berries at Costco you just had to buy but now can’t finish. And who doesn’t like a little taste of summer in the winter?
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