Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

A few weeks ago, I ordered an ice cream maker.  I have made at least one batch of ice cream per week, so far.  As soon as it arrived, my daughter requested strawberry ice cream.  I really wanted to oblige her, but I've been wanting to make cinnamon toast ice cream for the last few years.   (I did make it and I will blog it, but I'll have to remake it and photograph it.)

The next weekend, Evie requested strawberry ice cream again.  I convinced her she wanted s'mores ice cream instead.  It was so good, we ate it all before I could get a picture I liked.  (Photographing ice cream is not easy!)   I do want to make it again because it was the easiest ice cream I've made so far and it was so creamy and delicious.

This weekend, with Cinco de Mayo upon us, I was determined that I would make Aztec hot chocolate ice cream.  And I did.  (And I will blog it soon, I promise.)  But with the chili powders in the ice cream and a tablespoon of brandy, I decided to make a more kid friendly ice cream as well.   So yesterday morning I got to work on strawberry ice cream for the kids.

I hadn't given much thought prior to this weekend as to how I'd make strawberry ice cream.  As soon as I saw a recipe for roasted strawberry ice cream, my mind was made up.  A lot of things made sense.  That roasting the berries would remove some excess moisture, eliminating the iciness of the berries once frozen.  That it would also heighten the strawberry flavor.

The recipe I used required planning and plenty of time.  Neither of which I was equipped with.  I improvised a lot.  I can't say it was to the detriment of the ice cream, but I do want to make it as the recipe intended.   For example, I was out of vanilla beans, so instead of steeping the milk with a whole vanilla bean, I just used Mexican vanilla extract.  I also skipped the entire steeping process.  I didn't have time to cool the vanilla custard for 6-12 hours, so I chilled it for about an hour and a half.  I also didn't have 10 eggs on hand, so I used 9.

I did allow the strawberries to roast for 45 minutes on a low heat with a little bit of sugar and some balsamic vinegar.  I don't know, it didn't change much in my opinion.  I don't know what I expected, but it didn't seem much different than a simple maceration.  If I were really pressed for time, I think I may be willing to skip this step, but next time I may try roasting them at 350, instead of 300.   My berries may have been bigger than the berries used in the original posters recipe.

All that does not matter at all.  This was far better than any strawberry ice cream you'd buy in the store. At the end of our hearty Mexican meal, it was not just the kids that enjoyed this!  It was creamy, full of strawberry flavor, and the right touch of sweetness.   The strawberries really stand out and the vanilla flavor makes a lovely backdrop.  And I was so glad the recipe made a lot more than one container full.  I had enough to freeze in two batches.

Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream
recipe adapted from Zoe Bakes


For the base:
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
9 egg yolks

Heat the cream, milk, vanilla and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.   Bring to a gentle simmer and remove from the heat.  Whisk the eggs together in a medium bowl.  Whisk a small amount of the cream mixture into the eggs to temper the eggs.

Once the eggs are warm, add the eggs to the remaining cream in the sauce pan.  Use a rubber spatula to gently stire over low heat.  Continue stirring until the mixture thickens.   Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a shallow container.  Allow the custard to chill completely in the refrigerator.

For the strawberries:
1 pound fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Toss the berries with the balsamic and sugar.  Lay them flat on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the fruit.

Remove from the oven and transfer berries and juices to a bowl.  Add the corn syrup and mash the berries, leaving small chunks of the berries.   Chill until cold.

Combine the vanilla base and the strawberries, then freeze according to your ice cream makers instructions.   (I had to split my ice cream mixture in half, as my ice cream maker could not accommodate this volume.) Once the ice cream is set, but still soft, transfer it to a covered bowl and place in the freezer to firm up.



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