It is National Ice Cream Month, So Let's Make Strawberry Ice Cream

Since July is National Ice Cream Month, I thought I'd share another ice cream recipe I found online for my KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment - this time for Strawberry Ice Cream! Before we get to the recipe, I thought it would be fun to share some strawberry fun facts - did you know . . .

• Strawberries are not actually berries - botanically, they belong to the rose family and are "aggregate fruits," meaning each seed scattered across the outside is technically its own tiny fruit.
• A single strawberry averages about 200 of these seeds.
• Just one cup of strawberries contains more Vitamin C than a whole orange, giving you over 140% of your recommended daily intake.
• The ancient Romans believed strawberries could cure everything from bad breath and sore throats to depression and kidney stones.
• Not all strawberries are red. There are over 600 varieties which come in colors like white, yellow, and golden.
• California is a massive producer of strawberries. If you placed all the strawberries grown in California in a single year end-to-end, they would encircle the earth 15 times.
• The heaviest strawberry ever recorded weighed a whopping 10.19 oz.

Now for the Strawberry Ice Cream recipe -

Ingredients

• Strawberries: 1 pound fresh, rinsed and hulled (yields about 2 cups pureed)
• Sugar: 1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (to taste - although I always go with as little sugar as possible - I want to taste the strawberries, not just sugar.)
• Heavy Cream: 2 cups, cold
• Whole Milk: 1 cup, cold
• Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon
• Salt: 1 pinch 

Instructions

1. Freeze the Bowl: Place your KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker freezer bowl in the freezer for at least 15 to 24 hours before you plan to churn. 
2. Prepare the Strawberries: Dice the strawberries, combine with sugar in a bowl, and let sit for 15-30 minutes so they release their natural juices. Blend the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. 
3. Mix the Base: In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir in the strawberry puree and the remaining sugar if you prefer a sweeter base. Chill the entire mixture in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours until it is very cold. 
4. Churn: Attach the frozen freezer bowl and the dasher (paddle) to your KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Turn the mixer on to its lowest speed setting (the "Stir" setting). Slowly pour the chilled strawberry cream mixture into the bowl while the paddle is moving. 
5. Thicken: Let the mixer run on "Stir" for 20 to 30 minutes. The mixture is done when it expands to fill most of the bowl and reaches a soft-serve consistency. 
6. Freeze: Enjoy the ice cream as soft-serve immediately, or transfer it to an airtight container (or a bread loaf pan) and freeze for two to four hours to reach a firmer, scoopable consistency. 

For variations on this, or for step-by-step visual preparation using your stand mixer, check out the in-depth tutorials on SueBee Homemaker and Savvy Saving Couple. 

Happy National Ice Cream Month!