Vanilla Ice Cream with Fresh Strawberries

I am in BIG trouble… Look what I got from my BFF for my birthday! 

Yep, that is an ice cream maker.  I was SO excited. I have been wishing for one for awhile now.

I brought it home and promptly tossed some stuff out of my freezer and onto the floor so I would have room for the bowl.

I decided to make a batch of vanilla to test it out. I used the recipe that came with the machine. It was amazing!

Here is what you need, I was so excited I forgot to take a pic of the ingredients, OOPS!

2 ½ cups of half and half

8 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

2 ½ cups whipping cream

4 tsp. Vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the half and half until very hot but not boiling, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside

Place egg yolks and sugar in mixer bowl of your stand mixer with the wire whisk attachment. Turn the speed to 2 and mix for about 30 seconds or until well blended and slightly thickened.  Continue on speed 2 very gradually add the hot half and half, mix well. Return half and half mixture to the medium saucepan, cook over medium heat until small bubbles form around edge and mixture is steamy, stirring constantly. Do not boil! Transfer the half and half mixture to a large bowl, stir in the whipping cream, vanilla and salt.

Cover and chill thoroughly in the fridge, at least 8 hours.

Once the mixture is fully chilled pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, and process according to manufactures instructions.

I had 2 pints of fresh strawberries in the fridge so I chopped them up finely and sprinkled on 3 tsp. of sugar and let it sit while the ice cream maker did its magic. Then I added them during the last few minutes of churning. It gave a nice strawberry flavour. The problem was bits of strawberry froze very hard in the ice cream so next time I think I would puree the berries and pour in the puree at the end instead. 

It was super tasty. My in house taste tester said it was the best ice cream he has ever had! 

I have already bookmarked about 10 ice cream recipes I want to try. Like I said earlier, I am in big trouble!

Thanks B.

Jen