There isn’t anything lovelier than the first crop of locally grown strawberries, sweet, juicy and a taste of summer. Following a warmer than usual climate so far this year, British strawberries are ready to eat much earlier, I’m totally happy with that!
Last weekend was a productive one, I was out amongst the hedgerows picking the first blooms to make an elderflower cordial , I find the syrup so versatile; To flavour cakes, use in cocktails and I’d never say no to an elderflower panna cotta. Try adding a dash to an Eton Mess, it’s so delicious.
So this is a combination of two summery flavours, perfect to pull out of the freezer to finish a meal, if you have unexpected guests. When it comes to homemade ice cream, it’s the best of all summer puddings!
Elderflower & Strawberry Ripple Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 300 ml Double Cream
- 380 ml Whole Milk
- 6 Egg yolks or approx 110g
- 120 g Caster Sugar
- 120-130 ml Elderflower cordial Find the recipe in the link above
Strawberry Sauce
- 250 g Strawberries
- 25 g Caster sugar
- 40 ml Water
Instructions
- To make the ice cream, whisk the yolks and sugar together until pale. Pour the cream and milk into a large saucepan. Bring gently to the boil and then pour in a steady stream into the egg mixture, whisking as you pour. When it’s thoroughly combined, place a fine sieve over the saucepan and pour the liquid into the saucepan. Set over a low heat.
- Cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring all the time. Cook until the custard coats the back of a spoon. It’s important to be patient with this and don’t be tempted to turn the heat up otherwise you’ll have scrambled eggs. As soon as the custard has thickened have a bowl of iced water ready and place the saucepan in the water, stirring occasional until it is cool. Place in the fridge to chill for at leat 3 hours or overnight.
- To make the strawberry sauce, cut the strawberries in half or into quarters depending on their size. Place in a saucepan with the sugar and water. Bring gently to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Puree half of the sauce, I do this because it’s nice to have strawberry pieces in the ice cream. Cool and then place in the fridge.
- Once the custard has chilled add the elderflower cordial. Taste to see if you’d like to add a little more. Pour the flavoured custard into an ice cream maker and churn until frozen. Spoon into a large container and then swirl the strawberry sauce into the ice cream. Freeze until need.
Notes
*If you have a Thermomix add all the custard ingredients apart from the cordial to the mixing bowl and set the speed to 5 and mix for 3 seconds. Now set the temperature to 80C reverse blade and cook for 10 minutes. Increase the heat to 90C for 3 minutes.
Elderflower & Strawberry Ripple Ice Cream in bowls
