The Frozen Custard vs. Ice Cream Trial, Part 2: Strawberry Ice Cream

Here’s the second recipe in The Frozen Custard vs. Ice Cream Trial. Click here for Part 1: Strawberry Frozen Custard. They’re both incredibly delicious!

You’ll find a printer-friendly version of this recipe, which I’ve adapted (with very little change) from Serious Eats, at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients:

30 ounces fresh, local, in-season strawberries, divided (a little over a quart)

1¼ cups sugar, divided

4 tablespoons vodka

2 cups half and half

½ cup light corn syrup (just regular Karo, not the high-fructose kind)

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

a few drops of lemon juice, but only if you need them for a little extra tartness

Preparation:

1.) In a small mixing bowl, combine the vodka and ½ cup of the sugar.

2.) Next, wash ¾ to 1 cup of the strawberries (about 6 ounces), setting the rest aside. Remove the hulls and cut each of them lengthwise into quarters. Thinly slice the quarters crosswise.

3.) Add the slices to the vodka and sugar mixture, stirring gently to mix. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate. They’ll need to sit, chilling, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

4.) Now go back and hull the rest of the strawberries. Place them in a blender or food processor, and process until uniformly smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Measure out a cup and a half of the purée.

5.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the measured purée, half and half, corn syrup, remaining sugar, and the salt. Add a little lemon juice if the mixture isn’t tart enough for your taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

6.) When ready to churn, first retrieve the sliced berries you made in step 2. Set them in a strainer over a bowl so that they can strain while you churn the ice cream.

7.) Pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream machine, and churn for the longest time of the range the manufacturer recommends. Just before it finishes, add in the strained sliced strawberries. Churn until just combined. Serve now if you prefer soft-serve consistency, or cover and freeze for several hours if you prefer hard.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Servings: 6-8
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Ingredients

30 ounces fresh, local, in-season strawberries, divided (a little over a quart)
1¼ cups sugar, divided
4 tablespoons vodka
2 cups half and half
½ cup light corn syrup (just regular Karo, not the high-fructose kind)
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
a few drops of lemon juice, but only if you need them for a little extra tartness

Directions

1.) In a small mixing bowl, combine the vodka and ½ cup of the sugar.
2.) Next, wash ¾ to 1 cup of the strawberries (about 6 ounces), setting the rest aside. Remove the hulls and cut each of them lengthwise into quarters. Thinly slice the quarters crosswise.
3.) Add the slices to the vodka and sugar mixture, stirring gently to mix. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate. They’ll need to sit, chilling, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
4.) Now go back and hull the rest of the strawberries. Place them in a blender or food processor, and process until uniformly smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Measure out a cup and a half of the purée.
5.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the measured purée, half and half, corn syrup, remaining sugar, and the salt. Add a little lemon juice if the mixture isn’t tart enough for your taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6.) When ready to churn, first retrieve the sliced berries you made in step 2. Set them in a strainer over a bowl so that they can strain while you churn the ice cream.
7.) Pour the ice cream mixture into your ice cream machine, and churn for the longest time of the range the manufacturer recommends. Just before it finishes, add in the strained sliced strawberries. Churn until just combined. Serve now if you prefer soft-serve consistency, or cover and freeze for several hours if you prefer hard.