i love ice cream. and homemade ice cream has an extra special place in my heart. i have fond memories of my dad sitting in his aluminum lawn chair in the backyard with the old ice cream maker at his feet, cranking away. i would sit in for him while he added more ice or rock salt. if you know my dad, you know this was a huge honor. just like when he let me water the lawn. my dad takes his lawn watering and ice cream making very seriously. i loved the sweet icy bite of that ice cream (which i later found out was because he didn't use eggs).
this weekend i made up my very first batch of homemade ice cream. i used (and got creative with) a non-egg recipe. and because we have strawberries coming out of our ears right now, the flavor choice was rather obvious.
i wanted to make it special so i roasted half the strawberries.
friends, if you have not yet roasted strawberries, you absolutely must. yesterday morning, the house smelled of strawberry, coffee and honeysuckle. if i could bottle and sell that intoxicating scent, i could go ahead and buy my little art/yoga/flower/herb/goat cheese farm with the proceeds.
i also added wild rose petals and pink peppercorns. the wild roses at the organic garden are going bloom crazy. they are so beautiful i thought, i just want to eat them.
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i used the cuisinart ice cream maker. it was quick and efficient. except that i didn't read the instructions and neglected to freeze the bowl, so the ice cream making festivities were delayed 24 hours.
i took like eighty photographs of the condensation on the starburst pan. i'm weird like that.
isn't she just lovely?
the topping is pistachio and rose petal confetti.
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this is the dairy version. i'm working on a coconut milk recipe. remember when consuming dairy and strawberries, it is essential to choose organic. traditionally-grown strawberries are one of most heavily sprayed crops and non-organic dairy milk...well....those poor poisoned cows.
it tastes pretty too.
(i love the tiny strawberry heart on the side of the dish.)
s t r a w b e r r y, w i l d r o s e & p i n k p e p p e r c o r n i c e c r e a m
- 1 cup roasted organic strawberries
- 1 cup fresh organic strawberries, chopped
- 3/4 cup whole organic milk
- 3/4 cup organic sugar, plus 1/4 cup for roasted strawberries
- a pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cup organic heavy cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- splash balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. rose water
- 1 tbsp. pink peppercorns, crushed
- 3 tbsp. organic rose petals, discard white inner tip and julienne
- 3 tbsp. pistachios, chopped
for balsamic roasted strawberries:
- preheat oven to 325 degrees
- use a pyrex dish or silpat on a baking sheet
- spread strawberries in a single layer
- sprinkle with sugar
- splash a small amount of balsamic vinegar, about 1 tbsp.
- roast for about 40 minutes, stirring a few times during cooking
- smash with fork (keep syrup)
- refrigerate until ready to use
for ice cream:
- whisk together milk, sugar and salt until sugar is dissolved
- stir in cream and vanilla
- cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours up to 24 hours
- make sure you freeze your ice cream maker bowl
- right before you make the ice cream, stir in all the strawberries (with the syrup), the lemon zest, the peppercorns and the rose water
- pour into your machine and let it churn for 20 minutes
- meanwhile, make the petal and pistachio confetti
- when ready, pour your ice cream into another container
- top with confetti
- freeze for at least one hour or to desired iciness
soooo good.
happy summer friends!
(notes: the pink peppercorns gave a subtle bite to the cream, but i'm not sure it was worth the effort separating them out from the green, white and black peppercorns. i couldn't find them in my little town, so this is what i had to do. if you can't find them, this ice cream can totally survive without them. also if you are eating flowers, they must be purchased as "edible flowers" at the store or from a garden that you know is organic.)
