Strawberry Ice Cream – This is So Not Cheating

Many people consider this type of strawberry ice cream recipe a “hack” or a “cheat,” because we’re skipping the more time-consuming and sometimes temperamental egg custard step; but even if I didn’t want to save time, and possibly eggs, I’d still prefer this method.

To be clear, I’m only speaking about this specific flavor of ice cream. For deep, dark chocolate, or butter pecan, I’ll take the classic French-style every time. But, for sweet, juicy strawberries, I’m not a big fan of the subtle egginess you get with the traditional method.

For me it muddles the fruitiness, and coats the tongue a bit too much. When I eat a bowl of this on a blazing hot summer day, I want nothing but pure strawberries and cream goodness. To achieve that you need to include a lot of strawberry puree, and all that extra liquid means the texture will not be quite as luxurious. It’s minor sacrifice.

Feel free to skip the 10-second blending of the cream, but I like how it very slightly thickens the mixture. A few seconds too long however, and you’ll have whipped cream, which is going to give you a frozen mousse effect; not something I’m into personally.

By the way, rumor has it that these make some pretty spectacular ice cream sandwiches, if you can get your hands on some shortbread cookies. So, as we head into another long, hot summer, I hope you give this fast, simple, and very delicious strawberry ice cream recipe a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 ounces trimmed strawberries (one of those baskets should get you close)

3/4 cup white sugar

very tiny pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream