The wonder of homemade ice cream

I bought an ice cream maker earlier this year and it has amazed me at every turn. I've made everything from sorbets and frozen yogurts to low-fat and gourmet full fat ice creams. It's seriously impressive when you blithely announce you made homemade ice cream for dessert. I've yet to have anyone turn it down — or be unmoved by its fresh and creamy taste.

I've wanted to make strawberry ice cream since I got the machine, and finally did the other day. I must admit I was a bit unsure when I saw the EatingWell.com recipe for Strawberry Sherbet. It called for buttermilk and I wasn't sure how it would taste, but it turned out to be the perfect ingredient.

I used frozen strawberries because I find when using low or no fat milk the coldness of the fruit helps the ice cream set better. I'm not sure why the recipe asked to use sieve for the strawberries, I didn't bother, I just  used a stick blender to purée the strawberries (I left some bigger bits) after letting them macerate with the sugar for 10 minutes and added them all at once. It worked perfectly well I thought. When the weather is hot and your ingredients are melting, time is of the essence.

I used the remaining frozen strawberries and some tea biscuits to make strawberry shortcakes — using the strawberry sherbet in place of the whipped cream.

As you can see, I drizzled a bit of chocolate sauce on top as well.

This sherbet was quite amazing, and I must say the best ice cream I've made yet. The tang of the buttermilk is wonderful. So often I've found the strawberry ice cream I've bought in the store is too sweet, with little taste of the fruit. This tasted like strawberries and cream. A wonderful dessert whether served in a cone (my personal favourite) or dolled up in the form of strawberry shortcake.

Strawberry Sherbet

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/strawberry_sherbet.html
From EatingWell:  May/June 2009Buttermilk gives this sherbet tanginess and complements the fresh sweet strawberries. If you prefer a sweeter result, add a touch more sugar.
8 servings, 1/2 cup each | Active Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes (including chilling time)

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (not thawed) strawberries , (about 10 ounces), divided
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 cups nonfat or low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Combine 1 cup berries and sugar in a small bowl and let sit, stirring occasionally until the sugar has begun to dissolve, about 10 minutes. Transfer the berry mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
2. Meanwhile, combine buttermilk, half-and-half, lemon juice, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Press the strawberry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl. Stir, cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.
3. Whisk the sherbet mixture and pour into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. During the last 5 minutes of freezing, add the remaining 1 cup chopped berries. If necessary, place the sherbet in the freezer to firm up before serving. (If the sherbet becomes very hard in the freezer, soften it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before scooping.)

Nutrition

Per serving : 112 Calories; 2 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 1 g Mono; 7 mg Cholesterol; 21 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 94 mg Sodium; 86 mg Potassium
1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 1 carbohydrate (other), 1/2 low-fat milk

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 2 up to 1 day ahead. Freeze sherbet in an airtight container for up to 4 days. | Equipment: Ice cream maker

My recommendation: buy an ice cream maker and experiment, try things you wouldn't normally try and get to know what ice cream should really taste like. You won't want to go back.

Kathy