There are two main ways to make strawberry ice cream: the traditional method with a cooked custard base, and a no-churn method that is quicker and simpler. Here is a summary of both approaches:
Traditional Strawberry Ice Cream (with custard base)
- Puree fresh strawberries and cook them down with sugar and lemon juice to concentrate flavor. Chill the mixture.
- Make a custard by heating milk, cream, sugar, and salt, then tempering in egg yolks and cooking until thickened. Add vanilla extract and chill overnight.
- Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker, gradually adding the chilled strawberry mixture.
- Freeze the churned ice cream to firm before serving.
No-Churn Strawberry Ice Cream (quick and easy)
- Puree strawberries and strain seeds for smoothness.
- Whip cold heavy cream to medium peaks.
- Add sweetened condensed milk, whipping again to stiff peaks.
- Fold in strawberry puree and vanilla extract gently.
- Freeze for at least 6 hours until firm.
Both methods produce creamy strawberry ice cream, but the traditional approach is richer due to the custard base, while the no-churn method is convenient and does not require an ice cream maker. Would a detailed step-by-step recipe for either or both methods be preferred? I can provide exact ingredient amounts and instructions to follow. The traditional custard recipe involves eggs and cooking, while the no-churn version uses whipped cream and condensed milk for simplicity.
