Strawberry Basil Balsamic Ice Cream

Remember when the sound of an ice cream truck got your heart beating so quickly, you thought you were going to die?!

I do! My ears would prick-up as I heard the truck's music coming from blocks away and I would dance around and hop up and down while I begged for ice cream! Argh, it felt like my dad could not pull a dollar from is his wallet fast enough.

Oh, how I recall running wildly down the street, praying the truck would stop! And then stubbing my bare-footed toes in the knobby grass, tripping over cracks in the sidewalk. I could hear the other kids though the summertime-open windows, utensils falling on china, screen doors creaking open and slamming shut. The quickly growing mob of children, all galloping toward the same white truck. My own breath syncing with the sound of my heartbeat, pulsating in my ears as I tried to avoid the many bees, resting on the carpet of clover flowers that always seemed to decorate every lawn.

Oh, the summer rituals of childhood, when everything was so perfectly seasonal and special, because the windows of opportunity were so limited and our perceptions so naive and precious.

And maybe your family had an ice cream maker, like mine did. When I was really young, we had a hand crank machine. But in later years we upgraded to electric. I remember my dad wrestling with that hand crank machine! Maybe that's when I heard my first curse words, as he and my mother took turns and it took a lifetime to produce anything like ice cream!

Ha! But when my dad finally got his electric ice cream maker, it still took forever and the procedure was incredibly time consuming and involved, with the requirement of dry ice and a bushel of peaches.

And back then there was no such thing as small batches, that ice cream maker had a huge drum of a bucket, so this execution was usually accompanied by a family gathering or neighborhood party. This was a summer-only event that occurred maybe twice, three times a season. I can still taste those fresh peaches my mother carefully blanched and sliced. With all that effort, my mom and dad weren't about to experiment, so we always had the same flavor, perfected after many summers. And oy vey, it took forever! I can recall many summers when the ice cream wasn't served until dark, about the same time the lightening bugs were set to twinkle. I wonder, did I really like melted ice cream, as I claimed (or "ice cream soup", as I called it) or was it that I was distracted by firefly catching, in old Ball jars, to eat my dessert while it still resembled ice cream!

My young nephews will never really know what it feels like to nearly die of excitement, because everything in your life is based on seasons, (which reminds me of the Ray Bradbury short story, All Summer in a Day). Today, you can get fresh watermelon, corn and tomatoes year round. I hate to sound like on old lady, but when I was a girl, I don't think I ever saw a popsicle before June or after August (and Dairy Queen only sold Mr. Misty slushies in the summer!).

I'm not complaining, mind you. I actually feel thankful that my generation will always be able to enjoy those summer memories, including fireflies, riding our bikes without helmets and spitting watermelon seeds (was there such a thing as seedless back then?). And I'm also grateful, beyond measure, that these days I can taste summer all year round because I have, as you are aware, an ice cream maker!

My little Sunbeam ice cream maker was a gift from my Aunt Jackie, who had a very sophisticated palette and adventurous spirit in the kitchen. And I feel certain she would have been extremely excited by my latest batch of decedent creaminess...strawberry basil balsamic.

OMG, it was so good. I'd been reading up on ice cream techniques and read something that caused me to pause: add creme fraiche.

Creme fraiche is, basically, French sour cream. It's so flavorful and rich, thicker than its American counterpart, less sour and with a nutty roundness. I was quick to figure out a way to incorporate this into my own ice cream recipe and it was a welcomed addition.

Chris and I had dinner plans with our new friends, Barb and Scott. So Barb and I decided to finish off the night at their house with ice cream and her own homemade chocolate chip and walnut cookies.

We dined at a rather quaint restaurant in Redmond, WA, called

The Stonehouse, which was swell. We decided to share a few

small plates and entrees and I had planned to photograph them, but we were hungry and chatting up a storm and I forgot! But trust me when I say we had a nice meal and great conversation. We had to actually stop ourselves from finishing the last of the bread...knowing that dessert was waiting back home.

So we rushed it along and I am hoping everyone else agrees...this ice cream was the best part of the meal. I promise you I am not making this up, Barb and Scott said it was amazing! Amazing. And Chris even said it was his new favorite. Scott described the mouth feel as a combination of ice cream and fruit ice (most recipes call for about a cup of berries, but I added a whole pint). He also said the sweet strawberry flavor was the initial taste, but as he swallowed he could feel the pungent "choke" of the vinegar. Barb added that it was a perfect balance, not too sweet. And that all of the flavors were noticeable on different areas of the palette. I'd have to say, you could smell and taste the perfume of basil, which utterly complimented the berries and balsamic.

I marveled at how two changes made a big impact. One, the addition of the creme fraiche, which added a creaminess that was full and slightly sour. And two, I added a splash of wine, which I read would help keep the ice cream from freezing into a block and it did. There was no detectable taste, but the ice cream was much softer in texture. With all the batches this summer, we'd been having to let the ice cream sit on the counter for about five minutes before serving. This batch was very different and easily scooped on demand!

Barb's cookies were crunchy, chunky, chocolaty and you could taste the walnut flavor. I loved them and ate two in the car on the way home (she was generous enough to send home a few).

As we were getting out of the car, Chris remarked, "That ice cream was really incredible."

Wow, when he speaks, he speaks volumes. Love.

Shopping list

2 C whipping cream

2 C half & half

1/2 C creme fraiche

8 basil leaves

4-5 T balsamic vinegar (best quality you have)

1/2 C sugar, plus 1 t

1 1/2 pints strawberries

Preparation

In a food processor, puree 1 pint of strawberries with the sugar. In a deep bowl, whip the 3 creams to combine and then add the berry puree. Add 2 T of vinegar and start tasting. Most recipes will call for 2-3 T, but I really wanted the balsamic to be present, so I added 5 T. Use your discretion!

Chop the basil and sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar over it. Now really mince it, the sugar will help break down the leaves and release the oils. Pour the cream mixture into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's directions.

While the cream churns, add the basil. It will take 30-40 minutes to set up. During that time roughly chop the last of the berries and add them to the ice cream as it comes together.

Freeze in an air-tight container for at least 1 hour before serving. If you can save back a few strawberries and basil leaves, they'd be quite lovely as garnish!

Enjoy.