Yes, this title deserves an exclamation point! Here in the Bay Area today, it is a sweltering 93º… and it’s supposed to get even hotter tomorrow! Nothing says delicious, freshly churned, refreshing, homemade ICE CREAM!!!! better than this recipe! David has come through for me again!
First of all, strawberry season is HERE. Chances are, you’ve been lured in by the intoxicating fragrance of those bright red berries more than once at the market. And, when their ruby-red hues are this lovely, one pint simply will not do:
You know what I’m talking about. You know you’ve come home with a flat of 3 or 6 pints before. You rinse them off and devour the first juicy basket, and then sit there wondering, Howwwww am I gonna finish the rest of these strawberries before they go bad?
Am I right?
Sure, freezing them and using them for smoothies is a good backup plan, but that kind of defeats the joy of fresh-from-the-market strawberries. No, when Rachel brought three baskets of ripe and juicy strawberries to our home last week, I knew they were destined for bigger things. I was actually secretly hoping we wouldn’t finish the strawberries, tempting as they were, because I was already plotting to transform them into something glorious and new: strawberry sour cream ice cream.
Every time I serve this, my friends exclaim, “WOW! It tastes like real strawberries!!” Even Rachel said it, and she’s the one who brought the strawberries over. I’m not sure why they’re so surprised, because I’ve already told them it’s strawberry ice cream. Maybe it’s because they are used to the store-bought version with artificial flavors and too much sugar. Or maybe it’s because, with this perfect balance of sour cream and sugar, strawberries somehow taste more strawberry-like, with their summer-ripe sweetness bursting from the spoon onto your palate.
Whatever it is, this recipe is a serious winner. Not only does it taste like summer in your mouth, but it is also one of the easiest ice cream recipes ever: no eggs, no cooking! Just blend and churn! If that doesn’t make you throw that ice cream canister straight into the freezer, I don’t know what will.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, this pre-summer season might just be the time to pick one up
At the end of each churning, I normally try to scrape most of my ice cream off the paddle and into my ice cream tubs for freezing… but not with this one. Instead, I find myself leaving copious amounts hanging off the paddle for the pleasure of immediate licking! It’s one of those ice creams that tastes great frozen, but possibly even better fresh off the churn, so have your (chilled) bowls and spoons ready!
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Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream
From David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
- 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon vodka or kirsch
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream
- 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Slice the strawberries and toss them in a bowl with the sugar and vodka, stirring until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring every so often.
- Pulse the strawberries and their liquid with the sour cream, heavy cream, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor until almost smooth but still slightly chunky.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
13 responses to “The Best Strawberry Ice Cream!”
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Man, your posts make me wish I could’ve gone to a talk last week at work by David Lebowitz! I had too much to do that day but would’ve been fun. I want to try this ice cream flavor sometime 🙂 I also have an ice cream machine I’ve never used yet… that should change, shouldn’t it?
DL WAS AT YOUR WORKPLACE?!?! I WAS THISCLOSE TO PAYING $40 TO GO TO HIS BOOK SIGNING A COUPLE WEEKS AGO!! SOOOOO JEALOUS!!!!!! Man. Should have lent me your badge. Sigh.
On a happier note, you can try this ice cream flavor TODAY. I just sent a pint home for y’all :].
Yes, use your ice cream maker! Tis the season! =D
Please don’t tell me it’s going to get hotter! This 30-weeks-pregnant-with-a-two-year-old woman can’t handle it.
I ordered an ice cream maker today so will be pinning this for later 🙂 Wonder if I’ll get funny looks buying vodka at the store…
Oh nooo! I guess malls will be your new best friend =] I’m so excited for you and your new ice cream maker!! I highly recommend The Perfect Scoop
by David Lebovitz. Occasionally I still look for ice cream recipes online, but I find that DL has almost every flavor I want (if not online, then on his website) and his version has topped most other online recipes I’ve tried.
Speaking of vodka, the first time I made this specific recipe, I had to go get some at the grocery store. It was pretty late, and I distinctly remember the cashier chuckling and asking where I was headed for the night with my booze. I happily informed him that I was using it to make ice cream. He totally didn’t believe me, no matter how desperately I insisted that I was telling the truth! Good luck convincing others with your baby belly– sorry if you do get dirty looks haha. If it helps, I’m pretty sure the 1 tbsp of vodka is used to soften the ice cream. I did try it once without the vodka (when I was also pregnant :)) and it was still tasty, though notably harder to scoop. Just FYI! 🙂
My ice cream maker has arrived so I’m looking forward to making it tomorrow (sans vodka). And I’ve reserved a copy of the book from the library :).
It’s going to cool down again soon right?? I don’t remember it being this hot so early last year. You can tell I’m British, obsessed with the weather!
Woohoo! Let me know how it goes with the ice cream!
And yes, it is supposed to cool down! Hang in there, Momma! :]
what do I do if I don’t have an ice-creammaker? I live in Europe and space is always a premium in our cosy kitchens and so extra machines that have no regular use are too much of a space luxury sometimes…. How can I make this ice-cream? Will need it when summer hits as Europe also not an airconned world…
Oh, I’m not sure! I did a quick search for “How to make ice cream without an ice cream maker” and who should be at the top of my results but DAVID LEBOVITZ again (the author of the recipe I posted today, and one of my favorite food people :))! http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/07/making-ice-crea-1/
Here is another similar method: http://localfoods.about.com/od/preparationtips/ss/How-To-Make-Ice-Cream-Without-An-Ice-Cream-Maker.htm
And if that doesn’t work for you, here are a few more: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-ice-cream-without-an-ice-cream-machine-171060
I have never tried these methods, but they look promising. I hope it works for you!
Thank you, very yummy! 🙂
Okay Jo…
You’ve convinced me to get an attachment to make ice cream. Mattias loves ice cream too.
=D I am happy for you all! =D I will post more ice cream recipes as more hot days come!