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dessert

Strawberry Ice Cream

Creamy strawberry ice cream on a vanilla custard base, with simmered and sieved strawberry purée for a super smooth texture. Optional fresh strawberry chunks from the machine.

Prep
15min
Cook
30min
Total
45min
Serves
6
medium

Steps

  1. Put 200 ml milk + 200 ml cream in a pan. Set over low heat.
  2. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds. Add seeds + pod. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  3. (At the same time) Clean 400 g strawberries and blend into a purée.
  4. Simmer the purée for ~10 min to reduce slightly.
  5. (At the same time) Separate 4 eggs: yolks in a bowl, whites aside.
  6. Add 125 g sugar to the yolks. Whisk until light yellow.
  7. Once the milk mixture boils: pour a splash into the eggs while whisking fast.
  8. Add 1/3 of the mixture to the bowl, mix well. Pour everything back into the pan.
  9. Stir over low heat and slowly bring to 85°C (must not boil; spatula test: the stripe stays visible).
  10. Take off the heat. Sieve the custard through a sieve into a bowl.
  11. Sieve the strawberry purée through the sieve into the custard as well. Stir through — super smooth texture.
  12. Chill for a few hours, preferably overnight (so sieving happens before chilling).
  13. Churn in the ice cream maker until firm.
  14. (Optional) In the last minute in the machine, add 100 g diced strawberries.
  15. Store in the freezer and take it out 10-15 min before serving.

Flow

Three tracks: the pan (green), the egg bowl (orange) and the strawberry purée (blue). Pan and bowl merge at the tempering step; the purée only joins the sieved custard. The arrows tell you when to move on.

Notes

  • 85°C is the limit and it must not boil — otherwise the eggs curdle. No thermometer? Spatula test: lift the spatula, run a finger across — if the two sides of the stripe stay apart, it’s thick enough.
  • Everything through the sieve, before chilling: sieving both the custard and the purée gives the super smooth texture and catches any curdled egg and strawberry pips.
  • Other berries or fruit work too: raspberry, blueberry, peach, mango — same amount (400 g).
  • Variation: add 100 g diced strawberries in the last minute in the machine for bite.
  • Chilling overnight gives more flavour and a creamier result. Freezer? Take it out 10-15 min before serving.