The Best Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

Strawberry ice cream is my husband’s favorite ice cream flavor.  This is almost always the ice cream that he’ll buy when we visit a new ice cream shop.  In fact, he uses this flavor to judge how good an ice cream shop is.  We will only go back to a place if the ice cream tastes like they incorporated fresh strawberries into the custard.  No artificial strawberry flavoring allowed!  He is a HUGE fan of this Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream.

This recipe combines the freshness of macerated strawberries with the intense flavor of roasted strawberries to produce the most delicious strawberry ice cream.  Combine that with bursts of strawberry flavor from mixed in cut strawberry pieces and you are in heaven!

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Ingredients for Macerated Strawberries

• 1 lb (390g) fresh strawberries, quartered
• 1 Tbsp (13g) lemon juice
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar

Ingredients for Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream

• 2⅓ cups (550g) heavy cream
• 6 large (120g) egg yolks
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1½ tsp (5g) tapioca flour
• ¾ cup (150g) macerated strawberries + syrup
• ¼ cup (65g) roasted strawberries
• ½ cup (100g) macerated strawberries strained (i.e., without syrup), chopped
• ½ tsp (3g) vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 Tbsp (13.5g) vodka

Equipment

• Bowls (medium)
• Oven-safe baking dish
• Blender
• Instant-read thermometer
• Fine Mesh Strainer
• Airtight containers
• Whisk
• Medium Saucepan
• Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Machine¹

Macerating Strawberries

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Place cut strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar into a medium-sized bowl.  Stir to completely coat the berries and allow them to sit at room temperature for 2 hours.  I like to periodically stir the mixture to ensure the berries stay moistened.  While the berries sit, they will release juices.  This process of letting fruit sit and soften (i.e., begin to break down) is called maceration.  The strawberry juices and sugar will combine to make a strawberry syrup. 

Roasting Strawberries

After the strawberries have macerated, put 150g of juice and strawberries (approximately half juice and half strawberries) into an oven safe baking dish.  Place the baking dish on the middle rack in the oven at 375°F/190°C for 30-45 minutes or until the juice has thickened. 

Strawberry Pieces

Strain 100g of macerated strawberries and cut into chunks.  Place the cut strawberries in an airtight container and place in your refrigerator until churning the ice cream. 

Roasted Strawberry Sauce

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Remove the strawberries from the oven and pour into a blender (both the strawberries and the juice).  Add the remaining macerated strawberries and syrup into the blender and puree until smooth.  If you don’t like seeds in your ice cream, you can strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve and keep it in a separate container for later in the recipe.  If you don’t mind seeds, just leave the mixture in the blender. 

Making the Ice Cream Custard

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Place the heavy cream, and tapioca flour into a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly with a whisk.  Once the mixture boils, remove from the heat and let it cool for a minute. 

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While the mixture is cooling, whisk the egg yolks with sugar until they lighten in color (i.e., a pale-yellow color) in a large bowl.  Temper the eggs by pouring a small amount of the cream mixture (approximately ⅓ of the cream mixture) into the egg bowl while whisking constantly.  This will allow the eggs to warm up slowly without scrambling them (i.e., tempering the eggs). 

Pour the remainder of the cream mixture into the egg bowl while whisking constantly and then return the entire mixture to the saucepan. 

Cook the mixture on low heat while stirring frequently until the mixture thickens slightly.  Continue cooking until the custard reaches 170-175°F/77-80°C using an instant-read thermometer.  Do not let the custard boil.  It will cause the custard to curdle. 

Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer into another container.  Straining ensures the removal of any cooked eggs from the final custard. 

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Allow the custard to sit at room temperature to cool (approximately 30 minutes), then add the roasted strawberry sauce, vanilla extract, and vodka.  Stir gently to combine. 

Next, cover the strawberry custard with a piece of plastic wrap touching the surface to keep a skin from forming.  Leave the custard in the fridge for 4 to 8 hours, or until the ice cream has cooled completely (i.e., 40°F/4°C or below). 

Churning the Strawberry Ice Cream

Many ice cream machines made for the home kitchen require the bowl to be frozen at least 24 hours before churning.  Follow your machine’s instructions for the best ice cream.

Approximately 15-20 minutes before churning, place the custard into the freezer.  This process helps the custard to get colder without freezing and creates more volume when the ice cream is churned. 

Stir the strawberry custard with a spatula to loosen the custard before pouring it into the ice cream maker.  Churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s directions.  Using the KitchenAid Ice Cream Machine, this process takes 25-35 minutes.  Approximately 5 minutes before the ice cream has finished churning, add the reserved macerated strawberry pieces.  By adding them at the end of the churning cycle, they will keep their shape and not get beaten into minuscule pieces.  This will also help to evenly distribute the strawberry pieces throughout the ice cream. 

The consistency of the strawberry ice cream will be “soft serve” consistency when the churning process is complete.  Remove the ice cream from the bowl and place into an airtight container.  Again, cover the ice cream with a layer of plastic wrap touching the top to prevent freezer burn. 

Freeze the ice cream for 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden. 

This strawberry ice cream tastes just like strawberries and cream.  The freshness from the macerated strawberries mixes with the concentrated strawberry flavor from the roasted strawberries to create a delicious and intensely flavored Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream.  I love the smooth and creamy texture, but I especially enjoy the strawberry pieces that are mixed throughout.  Absolute perfection!

This ice cream is amazing on its own or it can be the perfect addition to the desserts like Pecan Brownies, Red Velvet White Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches, or Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake. 

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Notes

1. I use the KitchenAid Ice Cream Machine and I’m very happy with the quality of ice cream that we are able to make.  There are many different ice cream makers for the home kitchen.  Most of them require a detachable bowl to be put in the freezer at least 24 hours before churning the ice cream.  In general, the faster ice cream is able to be frozen, the better the texture of the ice cream will be. (Back to “Equipment” section)