In continuation of my reluctance to completely give up summer this week, I present to you all my very first homemade ice cream recipe... ;)
As most of you who have been following along with me know, I was over the moon when my parents gave me an ice cream maker for my birthday. This handy appliance has been on my kitchen gadget wish list for quite a while now. I couldn't wait to give it a try for the first time. ;)
I bought these ^^^ beauties at the local farmers market, and I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do with them...
I looked up a number of strawberry ice cream recipes, most calling for at least 2 cups of heavy cream. Have you checked out the price of a large carton of heavy cream lately? It is pushing $5 presently. I really couldn't justify paying that when I knew I could go pick up a half gallon of Edy's for less!
So, I improvised. I had a can of sweetened condensed milk in the cabinet, and thought to myself- why not? If it works, awesome. If it doesn't, then well... I was going to chalk it up to a newbie blunder. ;) But we all know I wouldn't be posting this recipe if it hadn't worked, right?
What you will need:
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
2 cups of milk (I used organic 2%, but use whatever you have on hand.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups of chopped fresh strawberries
Lots of ice & rock salt for your ice cream maker
Whisk together the condensed milk and regular milk in a medium bowl. Now whisk in the vanilla. Take about half of the strawberries and give them a quick puree in your blender.
Whisk in the strawberry puree and the remaining strawberry chunks. Pour the mixture into your chilled ice cream maker canister.
Every ice cream maker model is different, so make sure to follow the directions that came with yours. I let my ice cream churn for approximately 25 minutes, adding a little more ice and salt after 10-15 minutes.
Once it is finished churning, your ice cream should look a little like the photo above. You can eat all this deliciousness immediately, or store it in a freezer safe container to allow it to harden a little more.
This strawberry ice cream turned out perfect! I couldn't be more thrilled with my first homemade ice cream making venture. It is simple, delicious, and creamy.