STRAWBERRIES
Level 1
Strawberry Ice Cream Mix-Ins
- a Marlene Samuels creation -
You know those so-called strawberries frozen into store-bought strawberry ice cream? Well, you’ll be completely delighted by how fruity and sweet fresh strawberries (even if on-the-verge) taste when mixed into premium vanilla ice cream. They may have lost some of their firmness and won’t stand up to chocolate dipping, but past peak strawberries are bursting with flavor.
Starting with premium quality vanilla ice cream, allow it to soften out of the freezer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place washed, past peak strawberries into a bowl, toss with a tablespoon or two of sugar, and mash with a fork. By the time you’re through with mashing, the vanilla ice cream should slide out of the container and right into your mixing bowl. All you need to do now is mash the berries into the ice cream with a large metal spoon, return the mixture to its original container and allow it to firm up in the freezer for about 15 minutes. That’s it!
Dietary tip: Did you know strawberries are on the “approved” list for sugar- or carbohydrate-restricted diets because of their low-carbohydrate content? If you’re planning on substituting Aspertane® or other artificial sweeteners for sugar anyway, make sure to cut the berries into small pieces for easier mashing. Artificial sweeteners never work as well as sugar does for “juicing” berries – a process which causes them to release their natural juices and soften up.
Prepping tip: To keep the ice cream from becoming too soft as you mix in all those juicy berries, pre-chill your mixing bowl and metal spoon. Adding ingredients to a bowl that’s been in the freezer for a while keeps the whole thing chillin’. Remember, you want firm ice cream with mixed in berries, not a smoothie.
