This recipe is my mother's, Dorothy Hagerman, recipe that she used in the 1960's for making Strawberry Ice Cream. So delicious!
While ice cream is readily available in the freezer cases of grocery store and
specialty stores, homemade ice cream is in a world of its own. When you make
your own, you combine fresh, rich ingredients with the flavorings and
add-ins of your choice, for a delectable experience. If you own an electric or
hand operated ice cream freezer, making your own ice cream can be fun and
easy.
Check out my
Homemade Vanilla Custard Ice Cream,
Homemade Chocolate Custard Ice Cream, and
Italian Pistachio Gelato.
For a detailed history of the following individual types of ice cream, click on the underlined:
Baked Alaska
Ice Cream and Ices
Ice Cream Cone
Ice Cream Sundae.
Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
Recipe Type:
Ice Cream,
Dessert,
Strawberries,
Cream
Yields: makes a large batch
Prep time: 20 min
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated
sugar, divided
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
6
eggs
1 1/ pints fresh
strawberries
2 tablespoons fresh
lemon juice
4 cups
heavy cream or half & half cream*
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Dash red food coloring (optional)
Crushed Ice
Rock Salt**
* Whole milk, half & half cream, and/or low-fat condensed milk may be used to lower
the calories (these substitutions may effect how creamy your ice cream will turn out).
** Rock salt – large crystal salt with a gray color, due to
minerals not removed from normal table salt. This form of salt is available in most grocery stores, and also through hardware stores.
Preparation:
In
a heavy 3-quart saucepan, combine flour, 2 cups sugar, and salt until well blended (A wire whisk works great). Blend in milk and eggs until well blended.
Over medium-low heat, cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture (custard) thickens and will coat the back of a metal spoon with a thin film, approximately 7 to 10 minutes.
On your instant-read
cooking thermometer, the temperature should reach between 165 and 180 degrees F. NOTE: Do not let the mixture
boil or it will curdle. If, of course by accident, your custard base does curdle, immediately remove from heat and place in a blender; process until smooth.
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The FDA and the USDA advise consumers to use a recipe that contains a cooked custard base when using eggs in your ice cream recipe. The custard base
must reach 160 degrees F, measured with a
cooking thermometer, to kill the salmonella bacteria. Additionally, it's important to only used pasteurized
milk and cream products in making your homemade ice cream.
 This
is the type of cooking thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking. I get many readers
asking what cooking thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the
Thermapen Thermometer shown in the photo on the right. Originally designed for professional users, the
Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is used by chefs all over the world. To learn more about this excellent
thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click on the underlined:
Thermapen Thermometer.
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Remove from heat and let custard cool. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours but ideally for 24 hours.
NOTE: Cool quickly by setting pan in ice or cold water and stirring for a few minutes. This aging process will give the mixture better
whipping qualities and produce ice cream with more body and a smoother texture.
In a large bowl using a potato masher, crush strawberries with lemon juice and the remaining 1 cup sugar. Let stand for 1 hour.
After custard mixture has aged and is well chilled, remove from refrigerator and add and stir together half & half
cream, vanilla extract, food coloring (optional), and strawberry mixture. The ice cream mixture is now ready for the freezing process.
Transfer the mixture into your ice cream maker can and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
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The Science of Making Homemade Ice Cream
Using salt and ice - The freezing procedure
has a two-fold purpose, the removal of heat from the mix and the
incorporation of air into the mix. Heat is removed by conduction
through the metal to the salt-water brine surrounding the freezing
can. To help the ice cream mixture to freeze, the container holding
the mixture is surrounded with ice and salt. If you use too much
salt, the mixture will freeze too quickly and will not be smooth. If
you use too little salt, the ice cream might not even freeze. Unless
your ice cream recipe says otherwise, use 1/2 cup rock salt to 4
cups crushed ice.
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Packing in the crushed ice and rock salt |
Freezer is full and ready to go |
We are now making homemade ice cream! |
Churning - Good ice cream is determined
not only by the taste but also the texture. The
continuous churning with the ice cream freezer is important because
it adds air into the mixture. this makes the ice cream smooth and
increases its final volume.
Once you start the churning process,
don't stop! If you did stop for a long break, large ice crystals
would form in the coldest part of the mixture. this would produce a
grainy texture in parts of the ice cream and the center may not even
freeze. The continuous churning also distributes the flavorings and
brings the un-frozen portions of the mixture to the surface. The ice cream mixture usually takes between 20 to 30
minutes to freeze and the freezing container is then placed into a
freezer to allow the ice cream to harden.
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When the ice cream is done, either serve and enjoy or transfer to freezer containers and freeze
until firmer. To freeze, put in an airtight plastic container and place in the
freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours.
Makes a large batch of ice cream.
Storing Homemade Ice Cream:
Homemade ice cream does not store as well as store-bought ice cream. For
best results, transfer leftover homemade ice cream into a plastic airtight
container. Store in the freezer for no more than one week. If the texture of
the stored ice cream is grainy, let the ice cream soften, then beat it
before serving to smooth the texture.
