I’m super excited for strawberry season next year. And the reason is that I planted a 4×12’ garden full of strawberries. A 4×4 section of that is June bearing and the remaining sections are planted in ever bearing strawberries. I’m hoping that this gives us some strawberries throughout the summer along with some big harvests in June for making pies, or jam or ice cream! But it takes the June bearing a year to bear, so I have one more year of going to the Strawberry Farm this year. Well, realistically, I may still go as a 4×4 section might not yield enough when I have really grand plans in mind. Anyway, my mind is on strawberries! And after the cold and rainy spring we had, I am jumping right into summer with a Strawberry Balsamic Sherbet.
When I am ready to make ice-cream, I usually have an idea in my head of a flavor profile or an ingredient that I want to use and then I check my trusty ice-cream cookbooks for some help with the method. This year as I prepare for strawberry season, I’m using up the last of my frozen strawberries from last year – having them start frozen actually works great for ice-cream because they have started to break down a little bit from being frozen and release more juice. As I think of strawberry flavors, balsamic comes to mind – it’s been a popular pairing lately and I thought it would go great in ice cream – as I paged through my cookbooks it turns out that Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones (#CommissionsEarned) thinks so as well. But I didn’t just make their ice-cream, I turned to my favorite, trusty ice-cream book Hello, My Name Is Ice-Cream (#CommissionsEarned) for a method. I settled on Sherbet based on her recommendation that the lower butterfat content of a sherbet (defined as between 2-4%) lets the fresh fruit shine. At some point, I am going to make all three styles of ice-cream (custard, Philadelphia and sherbet) side by side in the same flavor to test this out but for now, I’ll go with her recommendation.
In the end this strawberry balsamic is an adaptation of these two recipe books and my own ideas to make a fresh, not to sweet, slightly tangy sherbet. I thought that the balsamic actually brought out and amplified the strawberry flavor.
Here’s what you need:
I’ve mentioned before that I like to use a commercial stabilizer (#CommissionsEarned) to make ice-cream. It’s easily available on amazon, the easiest to use and according to my geeky ice-cream book gives you the best texture. The ingredient most of us have at home is cornstarch, I’ll include a note on how to add that too. The recipe also uses glucose syrup (#CommissionsEarned) which you can find in craft stores in the candy making area or online. Glucose is desirable because it is a monosaccharide, which allows it to bond with more water than sucrose (or normal sugar). Bonding with water, helps to lower the freezing point of your ice-cream creating a softer scoop from the freezer and leaves less water available in the ice-cream to form ice crystals. In my opinion, if I am going to go through the effort of making ice-cream at home then I am going all the way. Another good texture substitute is corn syrup.
Now on to the recipe. The first thing I make is the strawberry balsamic puree so that it can chill and will be ready when I need it. This is very simple, put 3 c frozen strawberries in a blender (measure when frozen and then let sit in the blender until about 75% thawed, about 30-45 minutes). Blend on medium until it starts to break down and increase to high until it’s liquefied.
Strain the puree with a mesh sieve.
Mix 1 ¼ c of the strawberry puree with a half cup of buttermilk and balsamic vinegar. Reserve the rest of the puree for a topping (great if you add a little sugar).
It will turn a lovely dark pink color.
Let the buttermilk-strawberry puree chill in the fridge until we’re ready for it and move on to the ice-cream base.
Prepare an ice-bath for the cooked ice-cream base. I fill a large bowl about 60% full of ice and water and then nest my medium bowl into it to test. Jump down a few pictures to see what this will look like. You want it ready when the ice-cream base is ready, so I do this now. Just add lots of ice.
When using a commercial stabilizer, always mix it into the sugar before combining with anything else – similar to how you always make a slurry out of cornstarch before adding it to liquid. I do this by just whisking in the bottom of my pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Add some milk, cream, and glucose to the sugar-stablizer mixture. Cook on med-high until it comes to a full rolling boil, whisking often. Simmer the mixture for 2 minutes.
If you want to use cornstarch instead of commercial stabilizer. Mix 1 T plus 1 t cornstarch with 2 T cold water, and whisk into the simmering mixture for the last minute.
Pour the cooked ice-cream base into a shallow bowl and nest into your prepared ice-bath. Stir occasionally while it cools to 50 degrees. This is where an instant read thermometer comes in handy. The Thermoworks Classic Thermapen or MK4 will set you back between $79-100 but they are worth it (for more than just ice-cream).
Pour in the chilled strawberry-buttermilk mixture into the chilled ice-cream base.
Mix until it’s fully combined. If you want you can strain the mixture again. I usually only strain after cooking if I have made a custard base. It will help ensure a smooth sherbet if you strain now – depends on how you think you did along the way or if you’re a major perfectionist (which I normally am but for some reason I skip the step here).
Now here is the hard part. Cure your ice-cream base for 4 hours or overnight. Curing means to let it sit in the fridge. This rest time will help improve the texture of the sherbet, it’s optional but a step that I always take.
Now, it’s time to churn. You’ll want to follow the instructions for your ice-cream maker here.
Churn until it is the texture of soft serve ice-cream. Mine is almost there in this picture.
Now comes the hardest part because you want to eat it, immediately transfer to a freezer container with an airtight lid. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the sherbet so ice-crystals don’t form on top. Harden for 4 to 12 hours until completely frozen.
Of course, you can enjoy as soft serve right away. And let’s be honest you know you’re dying to lick the beater and the spoon right? Just don’t lick the freezer bowl – that would be bad.
When it’s hardened, scoop and enjoy!
- Strawberry Balsamic Puree:
- 3 c strawberries, frozen
- 2 t balsamic vinegar
- ½ c buttermilk
- Sherbet Base:
- ¾ c sugar
- 1 t commercial ice-cream stabilizer
- 1 ½ c whole milk
- ½ c cream
- ½ c glucose
- Let berries thaw in blender for 30-45 minutes until about 75% thawed. Blend on medium heat until the berries start to break down. Increase to high and blend until liquified. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve (or cheesecloth works too if your strainer isn’t fine enough). Stir in buttermilk and balsamic vinegar. Store in fridge.
- Prepare an ice-bath by filling a large bowl 60% with ice and water.
- In a heavy bottom pan, whisk sugar and stabilizer. Add in milk, cream, and glucose. Heat to a full rolling boil, whisking often. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Pour cooked base into a shallow bowl and nest in the ice-bath. Stir occasionally and cool until mixture reaches 50 degrees.
- Whisk 1 ¼ c strawberry mixture into the sherbet base. At this point you can taste and add another 1 to 2 t of balsamic vinegar. Optional: strain the mixture.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to cure.
- Churn according to your ice-cream maker’s instructions, until the texture of soft-serve.
- Transfer to a freezer safe container and press plastic wrap on top of the sherbet.
- Harden in the freezer for 4-12 hours.
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