Name: Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1440 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds fresh strawberries; ¾ cup sugar (plus 2 tblsp.); 2 cups whole milk; 2 cups heavy cream; 1 vanilla bean; 10 egg yolks

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Creamy and rich, Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream is an old-fashioned summertime treat!

Rich, decadent, homemade strawberry ice cream. A summer time treat! https://www.lanascooking.com/homemade-strawberry-ice-cream/

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This Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream may be one of the best things about summer. In my book, it ranks right up there with watching fireflies, walking through cool green grass in your bare feet, and sipping a cold beverage while watching the waves crash on the beach. It’s the epitome of summertime and a treat I look forward to indulging in at least two or three times during the season.

Making Ice Cream the Old Fashioned Way

I remember when my sisters and I were little girls and Mama would make homemade ice cream for us. That cold, creamy, delicious ice cream was worth every minute of the work it took to produce it. And it did take some work. Of course, Mama did all the kitchen work but we girls were pressed into service to do the churning.

I remember the old blue ice cream churn we had. It was a manual churn. No electric motor. Nope. Mama would fill the canister with the ice cream mixture, put the dasher in, and close it up. Then the canister was placed in the churn just so and the churn layered with crushed ice and rock salt.

Now the thing about our churn was that one of the clasps that held the crank mechanism on the sides was broken. No problem! We just put a towel on top of the churn and one of us sat on top to hold it down while the other two took turns cranking.

Now making ice cream with a manual churn is not an instantaneous process. You had to turn that crank for a good 30 to 45 minutes to make ice cream, so when one of us tired out another would take a turn while the first one sat on top of the churn. It was a lot of fun until the handle became hard to turn as the ice cream hardened. If I remember correctly, Daddy usually had to take over and finish the last few minutes for us.

Was it worth it? You bet! That homemade ice cream was a pure delight. Joy in a spoon. Sometimes it was plain vanilla, sometimes it was peach, and once in a great while, it may have been strawberry. Probably very much like this Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream. Be warned, however, that this is not diet food. Oh, no. This is rich. Creamy. Decadent. Ice Cream. Yum!

How to Make Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Washed and chopped strawberries with sugar on them in a bowl.

Wash, hull, and chop the strawberries. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle over the two tablespoons of sugar. Toss to distribute the sugar throughout the berries and set aside until needed.

Make and Chill the Ice Cream Base

Add the milk, heavy cream, and vanilla bean (split down the middle) to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring the cream and milk mixture nearly to a boil over medium-high heat. Take the pan off the heat and leave it to infuse with the vanilla bean for 20 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks with the 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until the yolks are thickened and pale yellow in color. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk and cream mixture and gradually pour the still-warm mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly. I find this easier to do if I transfer the mixture to a large measuring cup. Pour the combined mixture back into the pan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Add the Strawberries

Adding strawberries to ice cream mixture.

Crush or blend the strawberries and pour them into the cooled cream-milk-egg mixture. Stir to combine.

Churn or Freeze the Ice Cream

If using an ice cream maker or churn, place the mixture in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled (overnight is best). Pour into a prepared ice cream churn and process according to the manufacturer’s directions.

The mixture may also be frozen in a large plastic container. Pour into the container, cover, and place in the freezer. Remove from the freezer every 2-3 hours and beat with an electric mixer or in a food processor (this prevents ice crystals from forming). Repeat 3 or 4 times or until the ice cream is frozen.

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