It’s that time again. What time? Ice Cream time! This is my next entry into the Scoopapalooza group . If you haven’t been reading along, here’s some info about Scoopapalooza. Heather and I are taking this group very seriously. It’s a tough job, but hey--someone’s gotta do it. Want to join us? Please, do! Just join the Flickr group--the rules are posted there in Discussions. What could be more fun than ice cream?
When I saw the gorgeous strawberries at the farmer’s market, I had no choice--I had to get them. In fact, my husband pointed them out to me. He said “Oh, those and some rhubarb would be perfect for your next ice cream, wouldn’t they?” He’s always so right. Just don’t tell him I said that, ok? We’ve got a good set up going here--no need to poke a sleeping bear.
See? My husband was right.
So…anyway, the ice cream. I decided to go with a strawberry rhubarb ginger sauce, then puree some of that to add to the ice cream base. Yep--now we’re talking! By the way, I had every intention of removing the piece of ginger root after the sauce was done, but whoops--couldn’t find it! Hmmm…kind of like socks in the dryer--a sacrifice to the very pan the sauce was cooked in? Also--I’d have liked more ginger flavor, so I may double the ginger next time. After freezing, I added some finely diced strawberries, too. I love fruit in my ice cream. I guess I just love stuff in my ice cream. What can I say, I like to chew.
Serve with some of the Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce, if you like.
The strawberry rhubarb ginger sauce is super easy. You just toss all the stuff in a pan and let it do it’s thing. Come to think of it, the entire recipe is easy. But you know, with ice cream, there is some waiting involved. It can’t be helped. Things have to chill, so we, in turn, must chill. Isn’t that so very Zen-like?
The ice cream base, right before freezing.
Strawberry Rhubarb Ginger Sauce
I’m not sure how much this makes-I didn't measure it at the end of cooking. My best guess would be--1 cup to puree for the ice cream, plus about 1 1/2 cups leftover--so about 2 1/2 cups. Use the extra for serving over your ice cream!
4 cups sliced strawberries
1 1/2 - 2 cups sliced rhubarb
1/2 cup sugar
juice of half a lemon
1/2 inch piece of peeled ginger root
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup water
Add all of this to a saucepan, bring to a boil.
Then turn the heat down and let this simmer for about 30 minutes, until it's thickened.
Let it cool, then put it in the fridge to cool completely.
See? So easy!
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Strawberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
1 1/4 cup finely diced strawberries
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp lime juice
1 cup of the strawberry rhubarb sauce
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar (superfine is great if you have it, but not necessary)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half & half
Add the diced berries to a small bowl.
Toss them with the 2 tbsp sugar and the lime juice.
Set aside in the fridge to chill while you make the ice cream.
Puree the 1 cup of sauce, and you should end up with roughly 1 1/4 cup. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs for 2 minutes.
Whisk in the sugar until it's dissolved.
TIP: Whisk the sugar in a little at a time. When you first add it in, whisk slowly so you don't toss it up on the sides of the bowl--then you can increase speed to really blend it in. This saves you from having to scrape the sides down so often, like I usually do.
Next, whisk in the cream and half & half, then add the pureed sauce. Mix well.
Give it a taste now and decide if you want it sweeter. If so, add a touch more sugar, making sure it's dissolved.
You can chill this if you feel the mixture's not cold enough, or if you decide to finish it later. I always keep my ingredients chilled, and proceed right away.
Freeze according to manufacturers instructions. For me, this took about 25 minutes.
In the last few minutes of freezing time, stir the diced strawberries, drain them, and add them to the ice cream.
When it's ready, transfer it to a container with a lid, and freeze longer to let it firm up. I usually let this go overnight. See? We must chill.
- How does it taste? Like summer. Fresh from the berries, a slight tang from the rhubarb, and not too sweet.
- I find this one easier to scoop if I let it sit out for a few minutes first. If you want pretty scoops, that is--you know, for company, or photos.
- Feel free to dive in if it’s just you and no one cares what the hell the scoops look like. Like me and my family. ;)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 4:24PM in 
