Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

OK, I'm going to dispense with the blather and get right to the recipe. Because, really, when it's ice cream, there's no point in dithering. So here's some ice cream know-how from the guys who wrote The Ultimate Ice Cream Book and The Ultimate Frozen Dessert Book (lots of gelati, sherbets, and semifreddos).

Start off with 4 cups hulled strawberries in a big bowl--then take a potato masher to them. Aggressively. Basically, you want to break them up so there's a lot of puree and some pulpy chunks. Don't have a potato masher on hand? Then get in there with your hands and mush them up, about like when you're making meatloaf. You want something that looks like the end of a strawberry snuff film, about like this:

Set that aside. Heat 2 cups whole milk in a large saucepan over low heat until bubbles fizz around the pan's inner rim (but not until the milk boils). Why do this? You're elongating the proteins and fat, getting them ready to beat into a creamy mix. However, if you boil the milk, you'll go too far chemically--and culinarily (what with that icky "cooked milk" taste).

While the milk heats up, beat 4 large eggs and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy, opaque, and quite thick. When you first start out, after a few seconds, the mixture will look something like this:

But after several minutes, you want to get it where it looks like this, all the sugar dissolved:

See how thick and creamy it's gotten? The best way to get this consistency? Work with room-temperature eggs--or at least those left on the counter for 15 minutes. See how those bubbles look like they're suspended in the mixture? Perfect.

OK, you're done with the mixer. Now whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the warmed milk.

Ah, here's the rub: a lot of people add no thickeners to their ice cream. But Bruce and I have found that most of our home machines are simply not as adept as the professional ones with their built-in compressors and slow churn. Most of us use the counter-top models with inset canisters that go in the freezer. And let's face it: the machine's churning action and canister's variable cold spots don't add up to a professional standard. Even the old-fashioned ice cream makers that use rock salt and plenty of chipped ice don't really come up to the mark. Oh, they're all great at home. But they're just not professional quality. So Bruce and I add a little thickener to enhance mouthfeel, the key part of ice cream in anyone's book. We're compensating a bit--but it's a worthy compromise to have better ice cream. Yes, purists will dump the thickeners. But purists are probably working with a crazy-good, high-end machine.

Once those ingredients are whisked into the mixture, you should be able to form thick ribbons off the whisk, sort of like this:

Scrape this mixture back in the saucepan and set it over low heat. Stir constantly over the heat just until the mixture can coat the back of a wooden spoon or paddle. Because of the cornstarch, this thickening should happen quite quickly, maybe in only a minute or two. Basically, you want to be able to run your finger along a mixture-coated wooden utensil and have the line stay intact and distinct, sort of like this:

But one warning: there may be a few inadvertent bits of scrambled egg in the mix, particularly if you're working over an electric stove or have the gas flame a little too high. It's best at this point to strain the thickened mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and into a large bowl.

Now stir in the mashed strawberries, 1 cup buttermilk, and 1 cup heavy cream.

For the best results, set this mixture in the fridge for a couple hours to chill down. Then pour it into your ice cream maker and let the thing go according to the manufacturer's instructions.

What's left? Not much except pure bliss. The ice cream's not too sweet, a little tart, the better to let the flavors of the ripe fruit come through. We slurped it down the minute it came out--although you could scoop it into a large container and set it on the floor of your freezer for an hour or so to harden up. But really, what's the point?

Comments

[The Duo Dishes]

Perfect timing for summer! Must be so creamy and sweet, especially now that strawberries are at their peak.

[Petra]

Holy moly, Mark, are you reading my mind? Do you have some camera trained on me as I go through my daily life? How did you know that yesterday I got the urge toi make some sort of frozen dessert with buttermilk? And within the past hour I had a conversation with a friend of mine telling him of my buttermilk plans. This looks super fab--can't wait to try it. Do you think it would work with blueberries too? The cool region ones are starting to come into the market.

[Mark Scarbrough]

Petra: They can be a little wetter than strawberries, but it might work. Certainly will work with blackberries (yum) and sliced peaches (yum, again). But no, no cameras trained on your life. I can't even manage to balance my checkbook, so I doubt I could ever come up with any elaborate plans.

[Patricia]

YUM!! I dithered away my strawberries as mid-morning snacks at my desk this week. I ate the whole jumbo-sized pint though. Surely I'm more nutritionally sound because of it. I want some of the strawberry ice cream now, though.