Strawberry Ice Cream

A week ago, I invested in an ice cream maker. It is one of the best investments you can make (in regards to small kitchen appliances that is)! Let me tell you, I will never go back to store-bought ice cream unless it was an emergency! Truthfully, I never really cared for store-bought ice cream anyway. The one exception would be the Mint & Chip ice cream from Rite Aid. There is a wonderful shop around here (Longford's Ice Cream) that serves fresh ice cream without any additives and it is absolutely divine! However, I find it cheaper to just make it at home. Remember to leave the freezer bowl in the freezer a day in advance since it takes about 16 - 24 hours for the liquid in the bowl to freeze! I just leave the bowl in the freezer after it is washed and dried so I can make ice cream whenever I want! I would not recommend making substitutions; the sugar and the fat content of the heavy cream is what gives the ice cream its creamy texture and prevents crystallization. Enjoy!

Let's take a moment to stare at this beauty, shall we? It was on sale on Amazon. Go get one!

The end result? Delicious ice cream!

Yields: About 1 quart of ice cream

Ingredients:

Strawberry portion

1 and 1/4 cups sliced fresh strawberries, divided

1/6 cup sugar (half of 1/3 cup measuring instrument)

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Ice cream base

1 egg

3/8 cup sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup half and half

Directions:

1. Thoroughly dry the strawberries after washing and before using. The extra liquid will cause the ice cream to be icy.

2. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of the slices strawberries, 1/6 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp. lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or more. Once this has been done, continue with the following steps.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk egg for 1-2 minutes until it becomes a little lighter and fluffy. Slowly whisk in the 3/8 cup sugar until it is completely combined. Whisk in the cream and half and half until mixed.

4. Puree the strawberries from Step 2 using a stand blender, an immersion blender, or a food processor...whatever you happen to have! Add this into the the milk mixture and stir until combined.

5. Churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions. While the ice cream is churning, use a fork and mash the remaining 1/4 cup of strawberries and drain the excess juice well using a strainer. Once the ice cream starts to thicken a little, add the mashed strawberries and allow it to evenly combine. Do not over churn the ice cream! This should result in a soft serve consistency and will need to be frozen further to allow it to harden up a bit before serving.