Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream: 2 Years in the Making

As of today it’s been 2 years since I started writing Jumbo Empanadas. That’s a long time. And as I did on my first blogiversary, I’m making a special request for a comment, (and you can’t refuse a birthday request). If you’ve never left a comment before, now’s the time to do it. If you always leave one, feel free to leave another. If you know me personally and don’t think you have to comment, make an exception today and leave one, (and your name or something like it so that I know who you are!). It doesn’t really matter what you say, I just want to know who’s out there.

I haven’t quite figured out what to say about blogging for two years, (is there anything to say about it?) and I’m not sure where things are going from here, (how long can one really write a food blog?) so I’m just going to leave you with an amazing recipe and call it a day. Yeah, it’s a cop out, but a delicious one.

For my first blogiversary I made a cake that was a combination of three different Dorie recipes, but lately it’s been so hot that all I want to do is eat ice cream and frozen grapes so there’s no cake to celebrate today. Instead, I give you my newest and current favourite ice cream creation: Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream. I’ll give you a second to let that sink in. Each component is awesome on its own, but together they make up a trifecta of awesomeness that is unparalleled. If you still don’t own an ice cream maker, this is the reason to buy one.

Balsamic Roasted Strawberries, (adapted slightly from Zoë Bakes)

2 pounds of strawberries

1/3 cup sugar

3 T balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil so that it goes all the way up on all sides so that the wonderful juice that’s going to be created can’t escape. Wash and hull the strawberries and pat dry. Toss with the sugar and let stand for 30 minutes. Add the balsamic and toss again and then spread out onto your baking tray. Bake for approx 40 minutes, until strawberries are jammy and there’s lots of juice. Pour the berries into a bowl and put in the fridge to cool completely. These are pretty fantastic all on their own or as a topping on yogurt or granola or any flavour of ice cream of your choosing.

Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

3 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a heavy bottomed saucepan bring the milk and cream to a boil. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale. Continue to whisk while slowing pouring in the hot mixture until it is completely incorporated. Pour the entire thing back into the pan and stir until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour into a bowl, stir in the vanilla extract and then cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, (I roasted the berries and made the custard at night and then assembled the ice cream the following morning for breakfast, yeah I said breakfast).

Once both the strawberries and the custard are completely cool, get out your ice cream maker. Take a couple scoops of strawberries with juice out of the bowl and set aside, (try not to eat it all, your goal is to use this reserved bit as a topping on the ice cream when it’s finished). Strain the rest of the strawberries and combine the juice with the custard and pour into your ice cream machine and process according to your manufacturer’s instructions. When your ice cream is almost ready, add in the strained berries until they’re just incorporated, (if you add them in at the beginning, the machine has a hard time processing them). If you like your ice cream soft, you can eat it right away, topped with the reserved strawberries and juice, otherwise stick it in the freezer to firm up a little more. I ate it both ways and then had to make more, again and again. And that’s rare for me, I usually don’t like to make the same thing twice, but this has quickly become one of my favourite ice creams.

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Ice Cream + Fruit + Strawberries + Balsamic Vinegar