Here are the ingredients in a pint of premium “natural” strawberry ice cream: Milk, Skim Milk, Cream, Sugar, Strawberries, Strawberry Revel (Sugar, Strawberries, Water, Natural Strawberry Flavor, Pectin, Blue 1 and Red 40, Phosphoric Acid, Citric Acid, Malic Acid), Corn Syrup, Mono & Diglycerides, Carob Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Natural Strawberry Flavor, Carrageenan, Cellulose Gel, Cellulose Gum.
If that’s what you want to eat, don’t let me stop you. Enjoy your corn syrup, gums, and gels. Or you could try my ice cream with normal people ingredients. All you need is a strong blender and a working freezer.
4 cups strawberries
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Shredded coconut for garnish
1. Wash the strawberries. Cut the green parts off, put into a covered container or resealable freezer bag and freeze. (Stick them in the freezer before work in the morning and they’ll be ready in time for dessert.)
2. In a powerful blender—I use a Vitamix—combine the frozen strawberries, milk, sugar, cardamom, and vanilla. Blend on low until the mixture begins to incorporate.
3. Increase speed slowly until you reach the high setting and blend until you’ve got ice cream in there. It should take around 30 seconds—you want ice cream, not a milk shake. (See below.)
4. Scoop it out and garnish with coconut.
5. Crazy, right?
TRY THE TIP: If your blender’s being a dick, or seems like it’s stuck and the ingredients aren’t blending, turn it off and use a wooden spoon to clear the area around the blades. Then, push the unblended top part to the bottom and try again. You might have to do this a few times. And buy a better blender.