warning...what i didn't realize when i made this is that you really need to do this two days prior to actually needing the ice cream or be willing to be on a strict timer schedule as there are 8 hours between steps.
fresh strawberry ice cream
what you need....1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
Pinch of salt
1 whole vanilla bean
6 egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
what you do...Prep berries:
Place the strawberries, ¼ cup of the granulated sugar, and the lemon juice in a food processor. Mash up the berries so that there aren't huge chunks but that its not overly pureed. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a container and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Prep Cream Base:
Warm 1 cup of the cream, the milk, the remaining ¾ cup of granulated sugar and the salt in a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Once the cream mixture is warmed through and the sugar is dissolved, add the vanilla bean, cover and remove from the heat. Let steep for 30 minutes.
**I didn't invest in the $8 vanilla bean at Publix and just used 1 tsp of vanilla extract. I didn't steep for an hour either...turned out fab still!
Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (or reaches 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer).
Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream, then stir in the vanilla extract. Remove the strawberry mixture from the refrigerator and add it to the cream mixture, stirring to fully combine. Set the bowl in an ice bath and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Once cool, cover and place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (or overnight).
Get out the ice cream maker:
Once the mixture is sufficiently chilled, remove the vanilla bean and churn the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's instructions. I used my Kitchen Aid attachment and followed those directions. After this step the ice cream goes back into the freezer for another 8 hours.
