Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

We headed out to the strawberry fields one Sunday morning a few weeks ago and the minute we stepped into the field, I knew we were in for an outstanding day.  And it was the mouth water-inducing smell of fresh strawberries that made me almost want to cry with regret for not having asked for a larger box for picking.  I didn’t even have to get on my hands and knees before the smell hit me – luscious, robust, perfectly ripened strawberries.  Peak season strawberries.

And what did I do with them when I got home?  I froze them.  I’m almost embarrassed to admit that those amazing peak season strawberries got plucked of their breath so early on after being picked.  Well actually, some of the berries hit the freezer in the form of ice cream so it’s totally justifiable, right? (Some of them also made it to this strawberry stuffed french toast.)  This strawberry sour cream version is an eggless ice cream (which also means no-cook!) with a base that I let macerate while I got ready for work then whipped up in the food processor before I ran out the door.  I let the base – it isn’t really a custard since there aren’t any eggs – chill in the fridge all day and I churned it when I got home around 5pm.  By 8, we had fresh strawberry ice cream for dessert.  It was the perfect consistency – that of the few creamy spoonfuls you skim off the top of the carton when you get it home from the grocery store.  You all know what I mean.  The sour cream replaces the eggs for the creamy-factor and it also brings a bit of tang to the bowl.  The strawberries, though, truly are the star of this ice cream and I know I say this every.single.time I post a new ice cream recipe but I think we have a new favorite!

Looking for other frozen treat ideas for the summer?  I pulled together a few in this post.

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Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream
source: adapted from The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz

If your strawberries are super sweet, it’s perfectly ok to reduce the sugar by 1-2 tablespoons; you really want to be able to let the strawberry flavor sing here so reducing the sugar won’t hurt anything.  The original recipe calls for 1 cup heavy cream but since I only had 3/4 cup, I added some buttermilk to make up the difference – dare I say that I loved the swap?  The buttermilk boosts the tanginess in this ice cream in combination with the sour cream and the result is a perfect balance with the sugar-sweetened strawberries.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp vodka or kirsch
• 1 cup sour cream (low-fat is fine)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, shaken well
• 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Stir the strawberries, sugar, and vodka (or kirsch) together in a medium bowl; let the bowl sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, puree the strawberry mixture with heavy cream, buttermilk, and lemon juice just until there are still small-ish bits of strawberries in the mixture – do not over-process.  You may need to do this in two batches – do not ignore the Max Fill level on your food processor bowl.  Chill the ice cream base in a large covered bowl for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Freeze the base according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Pour the ice cream into a freezer-safe resealable container and freeze until it has reached your desired consistency to be eaten, 3 to 6 hours.

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