Ice cream making has become a recent obsession of mine. Especially given last week’s temperatures, it seemed to be the only thing I wanted to consume. Since we finally have berries back in season in New York, I created this ice cream in celebration. While the addition of Hoisin sauce is a little unconventional, its ginger attributes make it a perfect compliment to ripe strawberries. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2c milk (Use the best you can find – for this recipe, I used Ronnybrook Dairy’s Whole Creamline Milk)
3/4c heavy cream (ditto)
1qt strawberries, tops removed
1/2c plus 3tbsp granulated sugar
1/4c water
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
2tbsp Hoisin sauce
Directions:
Bring 1/4c water to a gentle simmer on the stove top and add 3tbsp sugar. Stir until dissolved then add half of the strawberries. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally for 9-10 minutes. In a separate pot, bring milk and cream to a gentle simmer over very low heat, stirring occasionally. (Keep a careful eye on the milk, as if it gets too hot, it will curdle and make for pretty terrible ice cream). Add strawberry mixture to milk, stirring well to combine, and let it sit off the heat for about 10 minutes or until milk has turned pink in color.
In an electric stand mixer, beat 2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg for 1-2 minutes, then add 1/2c sugar. Continue beating until eggs have turned pale yellow and have a creamy consistency. Strain milk and strawberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve (or cheesecloth), then add to egg mixture, beginning with 2tbsp and working your way up, so as not to scorch the eggs. Once all the milk has been added to the egg mixture, stir well to combine and set in a pot on stove top on medium low heat, stirring constantly. During this time, the eggs will begin to cook slowly, creating the custardy ice cream base we’re looking for. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Be careful to not heat too quickly, or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs at the bottom of the pot (which also makes for terrible ice cream). Strain this mixture once more through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth and allow to cool completely (you can use an ice water bath, or your freezer to accelerate this process).
Once the custard is chilled, spin the ice cream according to your ice cream maker’s manufacturer’s instructions. Towards the end of the spin, add the remaining strawberries and 2tbsp Hoisin sauce. Enjoy!
