Roasted Strawberries Pop in This No-Churn Ice Cream

Firstly unlike many other no churn ice cream recipes this one is not sickly sweet. I aimed to reduce the sweetness of the mandatory no churn condensed milk part (I think the sugar and custardy texture help make it more foolproof than a more headache-inducing version with an egg based custard or similar wizardry).

ROASTED STRAWBERRIES?!
Roasting the strawberries gives you a great depth and big strawberry flavour while also reducing the sweetness and water content that can cause the dreaded ice crystals in ice cream. If you wish to try add fresh cut up strawberries in your ice cream mix, be warned! The water content of the fresh fruit might add icy bits! It’s best to add these on top when serving, but give it a go if you’re not fussed about icy ice cream.

TO SERVE
Serve a scoop or two simply with some fresh strawberries or extra creme fraiche on top in a cup or cone, or go ham and sandwich between wafers or cookies for a fancy homemade ice cream sandwich (I did ). Basil and mint are great herby additions, as are the strawberry leaves themselves (I find these taste earthy and slightly basil-like, but less fragrant – plus you already have them!).

RECIPE
ROASTED STRAWBERRY CREME FRAICHE ICE CREAM – NO CHURN

INGREDIENTS
500g strawberries, tops cut off (use them to make a strawb top vinegar)
1/2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)
197ml/g* sweetened condensed milk (1/2 a can – double the recipe you want to use it all)
200ml/g cream (full fat, must be whippable)
100ml/g creme fraiche (can substitute for sour cream)

METHOD
Roasted strawbs
1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Wash, lightly dry and halve your strawbs. Pop on an oven tray and toss with sugar, then spread into a single layer.
2. Roast for 40-45 mins. Don’t let the sugary juices burn!
3. Once roasted scrape everything into a food processor and blitz till as smooth as possible. Allow to cool.

ICE CREAM (WOO!)

1. Chuck your condensed milk into the food processor with the cooled strawb mix. Blitz for 1-2 minutes till well combined and aerated.
2. In a large bowl (larger than you need, we’ll dump the strawberry mix in here later instead of dirtying another bowl 😉) whip together cream, creme fraiche and vanilla till stiff peaks are achieved.
3. Push the cream to one side of the bowl and pour the strawberry mix next to it, scraping everything out with a spatula.
4. Fold a scoop of the cream mix through gently (don’t beat, we need the air to get the right texture!). When mostly mixed in add another scoop and repeat. This helps start to lighten the mix so it’s easier to fold through and allows you to retain the air you spent all time time whipping the creams into desserty submission.
5. Now fold through the rest of the strawberry mix into the cream. Again gently folding till it’s almost a homogeneous millennial pink. About 15-20 folds should do it. A few streaks here and there make it look lovely, so don’t stress about them.
   

FREEZING + SERVING

1. Pour your ice cream into a container – either an airtight glass one or a metal one (freezes quickly and retains the cold temp).
2. Top with a sheet of baking paper cut to fit your container and smooth it out to prevent bubbles that can create dreaded icy bits. Freeze for 12 hours. You get more of a soft serve texture after at least 3-6 hours.
3. Serving – let it sit at room temp for a few mins to make it easier to scoop. It might seem hard once frozen for a few days, but it’s more like a churned ice cream and scoops more easily when it softens a lil’. Not bad at all for homemade!

VARIATIONS
You could roast other fruit and substitute, but strawberries are pretty darn hard to beat! I also want to work on a version that incorporates the strawberry leaves into the ice cream the future…keep your eyes peeled!

NOTES:
* All ingredients can be interchangeably weighed on a scale or measured in a cup. I find it easier to just weigh creams in a bowl or straight into the food processor instead of dirtying a measuring cup and having the scrape it all out.

ZERO WASTE LEFTOVER USE IDEAS
– Strawberry tops – Strawberry top vinegar, use leaves as garnish.
– Cream – whip and serve alongside your ice cream.
– Creme fraiche – serve a dollop with your ice cream. Kind of like a cross between ricotta and double cream – really nice on toast with jam or leftover fresh strawberries.



Tag me on instagram at @_bottomfeeder if you end up making this! I’d love to know who it went and how you served it🙏🌞

This strawberry series of recipes was developed by me in response to the plight of strawberry farmers in Australia, many of whom have been forced to sell their spring strawbs below cost price due to the affects of Covid Lockdown around Australia. With heavily reduced business from bakeries, restaurants and cafes (that are still takeaway only at the time of writing) their berries are piling up, and some are spraying their crops and letting them die out of desperation. See more of my strawberry recipes here!