There is an awesome ice cream shop in our town that we love to go to in the summer called Washtenaw Dairy.  They are the real deal...homemade donuts, homemade ice cream, a kiddie size that could feed a horse and a line wrapped around the corner every time you go! But...after making this recipe for strawberry ice cream my visits may become less and less frequent!  It's pretty amazing.  And making it with fresh strawberries just adds that little bit of summertime wonderfulness that makes it taste even better!

For the ice cream batter:
8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk (the less fat the milk has the less creamy - I used skim and it was still delicious)
2 cups of heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

For the strawberries
4 cups of fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup sugar

To make:
Mix the strawberries with the 1/4 cup of sugar and gently mash them up.  Set aside in the fridge for later.

Heat the milk (not the heavy cream) in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Prepare an ice bath by setting a 2-quart bowl over a larger bowl partially filled with ice water.  Set a strainer over the smaller bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl or in your mixer, whisk together the egg yolks and cup of sugar until pale yellow in color and the sugar has dissolved.

Remove the milk from the heat.  Gradually pour the warmed milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.  If you heat your milk too much then when you add it to the yolks some of the eggs may "scramble" - if this happens it's ok - you can strain out those pieces later.

Pour the mixture back into the same saucepan you used to warm the milk. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. (You can tell it's right if you dip the wooden spoon in the batter and then draw a line in the batter on the spoon with your finger - if the line stays you are good to go!).  You don't want the batter to boil or foam or bubble - this means your eggs are scrambling!

Strain the batter into the top bowl of the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and stir over the ice bath until cool. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for about 8 hours.

Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to make the vanilla ice cream base.  As the ice cream gets harder and more frozen (like soft serve consistency) add your strawberries and their juices until combined.  

Take a bite...heck, serve yourself a bowl if you are not patient enough to wait any longer...or you can put your ice cream in the freezer for a bit to get it to hard ice cream consistency.  And enjoy!!!

I am really in love with mango...well, mango flavored anything (the texture of mango is not my fave).  But mango drinks, sauces, salsas, sorbets....I love them all!  I messed with a few recipes to get this Mango Sorbet pretty darn perfect.  It's smooth and creamy and not too sweet, I hope you like it!  

You will need:
2 heaping cups of peeled and diced ripe mango (I have made this with semi-ripe and really ripe, and the really ripe is way better)
1/2-3/4 cup granulated sugar (your call, I tend to go less on the sugar)
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
1/4 cup of sweetened flaked coconut, toasted* 

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.  If you have an ice cream maker, follow the instructions from here out, using this as your batter.  If you don't, simply freeze this batter for a few hours or over night and voila!  I find using an ice cream maker makes for a fluffier sorbet where simply freezing it from the blender make it a little more compact.  

Top your sorbet with toasted coconut and enjoy!

*I toast the coconut in the oven.  I preheat the oven to 350 and spread a single layer of the flakes on a baking sheet and cook until they are just lightly golden brown.  It only takes a few minutes and you have to keep an eye on it because it burns easily, and burnt coconut is not tasty...trust me, I have tried to salvage a neglected batch!  Depending on your oven, you may need to turn/toss the coconut halfway thru cooking it (my oven cooks the edges of the pan before the center).

Note: I have tried subbing the mango for other fruits and while it is still tasty, it is not the same consistency as with mango.  I think mango freezes differently and makes for a creamier sorbet, where other fruits, like strawberries, make it more Italian-ice-like.  

My husband and I eat ice cream out of the Ben & Jerry's pints at least a couple nights a week (a naughty habit that started during my first pregnancy, but "baby wanted it".  And he had sympathy cravings...which all led to a lot of exercise later).  I don't make my own ice cream often because B & J's just does it so right.  But if I was to think outside the carton, this is a pretty damn good combination that Ben & Jerry should really consider.  It's my rendition of a dessert we love from our favorite restaurant in Jersey City.  It's an ice cream sundae called German Chocolate Cake because of the ingredients, but minus the cake.  I guess we could just call it German Chocolate... 

For two good size servings, you'll need:

A pint of your favorite chocolate ice cream  (we like Haagen Dazs or Ben & Jerry's)

For Toasted Coconut & Nuts:
1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/4 cup total of combination of chopped walnuts and almonds (I used sliced almonds)


In small frying pan, let the nuts cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium, then add coconut (since this cooks faster).  You want to cook until nuts and coconut are just looking toasty light brown.  Remove from heat and let cook in a bowl set aside.

For Whipped Cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream 
1 tsp sugar (powdered or white granular sugar)


Pour heavy cream in kitchen-aide mixer and add 1 tsp sugar (powdered or white granular sugar works) and whip about 5 min or so with wire whisk attachment until soft peaks form.  

For Butterscotch Sauce:
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbs unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp sea salt

NOTE: Usually I'm all for subbing but in this case, don't sub anything or you may sacrifice the thick sticky texture that makes this sauce great.  I have made it a few times with salted butter, 1/2 & 1/2 instead of heavy cream, and light brown sugar, but it just isn't the same. 

Combine ALL ingredients above in small/medium sauce pot on medium heat and bring to a slow boil.  Let boil for about 5 minutes and then let it cool on stove til you are ready to load on top of your sundae.  Pour the remains in an airtight container and store in the fridge.  (3-4 days I'd say, but I have not tested this)

To assemble, top a few scoops of chocolate ice cream with your homemade whipped cream, butterscotch sauce, and toasted coconut/nuts and "guten appetit!" 

Since my husband is such a carmel fan, I tried this recipe for Salted Carmel Ice Cream after seeing it on the Food Network.  It's really fabulous in taste, and is perfect to accompany a chocolate dessert or by itself.  It is RICH though....  like a gelato.  Also, it's a little on the soft side, since the salt prevents total freezing of the ice cream. The only thing I would do differently is to make sure you MIX the ice cream mixture thoroughly before it goes into the ice cream machine, that is, if you are doing two batches, like I did b/c I didn't have enough room. That way, the salt & carmel; which sinks eventually after being mixed with the vanilla base, will be evenly distributed among batches.  One of my batches was heavenly and the other was a little on the salty side.  But overall this recipe is really amazing for a naughty treat.  It is a keeper for impressing guests!

Ice Cream Base:
1 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream

Directions for the Ice Cream base:
Heat the milk in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.  Prepare an ice bath by setting a 2-quart bowl over a larger bowl partially filled with ice water.  Set a strainer over the smaller bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow in color and the sugar has dissolved.

Gradually pour the warmed milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. 

Pour the mixture back into the same saucepan you used to warm the milk. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Strain the custard into the top bowl of the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Add the heavy cream and stir over the ice bath until cool. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight. Yield: about 3 cups.

Caramel:
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
1 tablespoon pure Tahitian vanilla extract

Directions for the Caramel:
Heat the sugar in a dry heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat the sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and swirl the pan so the sugar melts evenly, and continue cooking until it is a dark amber color.

Carefully add the heavy cream (the mixture will splatter) and cook, stirring until all the caramel has dissolved. 

Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and stir in the sea salt. Set the caramel mixture over a bowl filled with ice water and stir until chilled to room temperature, otherwise adding warm caramel to the ice cream base will "scramble" the eggs. 

Combine the caramel mixture with the Ice Cream base and add the vanilla. 

Chill completely (I chill mine for about 8 hours in the fridge to be safe).  Freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions.

You can freeze the leftovers in an air tight container, but I wouldn't let it go uneaten for too long, considering there are no preservatives.  Enjoy!