Strawberry Ice Cream

This is an easy homemade ice cream recipe that doesn’t use eggs, condensed milk, or an ice cream machine. The only machine you need is a food processor, which is household item that is more common than an ice cream machine.

This is a great base recipe and can be made with any fruit. It could easily be converted into specialty flavors like ube or durian. Both flavors of ice creams can be very expensive for a quart size container. Now I can make my own versions of those specialty flavors, which can sometimes be hard to find in markets.

I was recently saw the coco mama ice cream sundae from Boracay, Philippines and caught a glimpse of the durian Mon thong ice cream sundae from the Swensen shops in Thailand. I’m obsessed. I also love that both sundaes feature sticky rice. That’s how my grandfather ate his ice cream. That’s how we know that it’s a good thing.

Notes:

• Flavoring – although vanilla goes fairly well with most fruits, especially strawberry cream, using any extract or flavoring to match the fruit will help enhance the flavors of that fruit. Check your local Asian markets for tropical flavorings like ube, mango, or pineapple.
• Fruits – you can use frozen or fresh fruits. If using frozen fruits, thaw the fruits at room temperature for about 10 or 15 minutes before pureeing. For fruits with higher liquid content like mangoes and strawberries, use 1 cup of puree. If you are experimenting with other flavors like ube, which is a starchier tuber, reduce the amount of puree to about 2/3 cup (about 157 ml).

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Yields: 1.5 quart
Time: 5 hours

8-10 strawberries (or any fruit) – enough to yield 1 cup fruit puree
2 cups (~473 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 ½ cup (~355 ml) whole milk
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract***

• Add into a food process and process or puree. You’ll want about 1 cup (237 ml) of fruit puree. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, add milk, heavy whipping cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Cook over medium low until the sugar has dissolved, and the mixture is steamy but not boiled over. If boiled, the milk and cream will curdle.
• Let the cream milk mixture cool slightly for a few minutes before adding the fruit puree. Mix well.
• Pour the mixture into silicon ice cube trays and place in the freezer for about 2 hours. The mixture does not have to be frozen solid.
• After two hours, place the cubes into a food processor and process for two minutes.
• Transfer the mixture into a freezer safe container and freeze for another two hours.
• Serve and enjoy.