Strawberry Sour cream ice Cream

Strawberry Sour cream ice Cream

Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream


This post was originally part of the Canadian Food Experience Project. As I update my recipes, I’m separating stories from instruction. As a result, you’ll find a recipe-free story in my Sunday Story section. Just look for Strawberry Sins.


Years ago, my first attempt at homemade ice cream never got past the initial enthusiasm. I had found a small, reasonably-priced hand-crank machine at the hardware store and pounced on it. Once home, I read the directions. It needed rock salt. I had no idea where you get that commodity, so my fancy little machine sat at the back of the pantry collecting dust. For years. I eventually gave it away to a thrift shop. I feel a pang of guilt every time I think of it. Who is now out there looking for rock salt and cursing my donation?

Fast forward a few years. I got a pricier electric ice cream maker that uses a frozen drum. While it works well, the drum takes up precious freezer space and a good 24-hours chilling time. Spontaneity is not an option. And ice cream is an impulse food.

I promised myself, if I ever wrote an ice cream book, I’d splurge on an electric, drum-free ice cream maker with a compressor. I told myself it would be a necessity. After all, I’d be testing batch after batch after batch.

I have not written an ice cream book — although I have included ice cream in the 3-Ingredient Baking Book. So that $500 toy won’t be mine any time soon. And it’s far from a necessity. Turns out, you don’t need an ice cream maker to enjoy delicious homemade ice cream. You just need a good recipe and a few tricks.

Making Ice Cream Without An Ice Cream Maker

Unless you opt for no-churn ice cream recipes, you can’t just spoon the base into a container and freeze it. You’ll end up with a solid, unscoopable block. Ice cream needs aeration. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, here are your options.

ICE CUBE TRAYS AND A BLENDER

Freeze the base in ice cube trays. Use standard or small cubes, not big ones. When the base has frozen solid, pop the cubes into a blender. Work in batches, so the blender is never more than half full. Blend until smooth, pour into a freezer-proof container, and refreeze, stirring on occasion.

FREQUENT STIRRING

This is a bit more work. Pour the base into a freezer-safe container, cover and freeze until the edges start to get solid, about 45 minutes to an hour. Whisk the base vigorously with a fork to break up the frozen bits. Repeat this every 30 minutes until the ice cream is frozen. This can take a few hours, so be sure you’re home for the day.

As the ice cream gets more firm, you can aerate the base with an electric mixer or immersion blender, if you have one.

Be patient

No matter which method you use — ice cream maker, ice cubes, or stirring — homemade ice cream needs a bit more freezing time. After you’ve aerated it sufficiently, freeze it for another 2 hours (or up to overnight). Trust me. The results will be worth it.

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Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

Strawberry and sour cream ice cream makes the most of a classic pairing. Smooth with a bit of tang, this is perfect eaten alone or on top of strawberry shortcake.

  • Author: Charmian Christie
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes + freezing time
  • Yield: 1 litre (1 quart) 1x
  • Category: Frozen Treats
  • Method: Easy
  • Cuisine: North American

Ingredients

Scale

2 generous cups (500 ml)  sliced, hulled strawberries
1 cup (250 ml) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) whipping cream (35%)
1 cup (250 ml) sour cream
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure vanilla extract
pinch fine sea salt

Instructions

In a blender or food processor, purée the strawberries and sugar until smooth. Press the strawberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve placed over a large bowl. Discard the strained seeds.

Whisk in the cream, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until well chilled. If desired, transfer to the freezer 15 minutes before you are ready to churn.

Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze for until firm, about 2 hours.

Keywords: strawberries, cream, sour cream

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22 Comments
  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 14:11h, 07 June

    You picked berries as a job? I’d have burst.

    I look forward to reading your Canadian Food Experience Project story and to seeing what other amazing stories the project brings.

  • Valerie
    Posted at 17:35h, 07 June

    As a child of the late 80’s & early 90’s, I remember (all too well!) those sticky, hot, vinyl car seats – and the lack of AC (as well as my older sister always trying to steal away the Speak & Spell). 😀

    I’m sorry your berry hopes were dashed by woodland creatures, but at least you have this luscious ice cream as a source of comfort. Gorgeous photos! xo

  • Helene
    Posted at 14:06h, 07 June

    Reading this brought back memories that every summer I would pick strawberries to get a bit of money for my own expenses. I would pick and eat all day long. Those strawberries were the best. I really enjoyed reading your first post for The Canadian Food Experience Project. I have to write mine today 🙂

  • Nicole @ Culinary Cool
    Posted at 20:39h, 07 June

    Despite the fact that we have an abundance of You-Pick berry farms in Saskatchewan, I’m ashamed to say I have never actually gone to one! My goal in July is to go pick my own Saskatoons!

  • Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie)
    Posted at 22:55h, 07 June

    I can tell this project is going to make me teary eyed and grateful for all the wonderful food that I did not realize I ate as I grew up in this great country. I love strawberries! And I love making strawberry jelly now. Great story.

  • Dana
    Posted at 02:51h, 08 June

    A thief…I always suspected!

    Great post. Funny how berry picking turned up in both our posts – can you say “jinx” about blogs?

  • Redawna
    Posted at 03:34h, 08 June

    I too have felt the sting of the hot vinyl seats of summer.

    What a fantastic recount of your summer berry picking adventures.
    Seems that many of us were involved food theft and berry picking of one kind of another. lol

    Your recipe sounds fabulous! Makes me wish I had an ice cream churn.

  • Heather Lang
    Posted at 01:05h, 08 June

    I think my mom still has the old stained berry basket from when I was a kid. What a great memory. I still love going to the berry patches and picking my own.

  • bellini
    Posted at 01:39h, 08 June

    Sadly there are few places to go strawberry picking these days, but I can still find them at the farmers market by the case load. It’s possible one of my first food memories was at the Strawberry Social every year in June in elementary school.

  • A Canadian Foodie
    Posted at 19:22h, 08 June

    You could have been my next door neighbour, Charmian. You have truly captured so much of what I lived… but there were no strawberry picking farms in my youth. Alberta Farmers just didn’t have them, then… though they do now. It was always wild berry picking: mainly Saskatoon berries. And we still couldn’t eat them. Nothing to do with stealing… everything to do with the bounty at the end of the day! And that hot old green chevy with the vinyl seats. Oh, my… I had forgotten how my legs would stick and burn exactly as you have described. No strawberry picking in my childhood repertoire, but definitely the seasonal feasting when they appeared in the markets. Cherries and strawberries landed for about 2 weeks at a time in the city, and I could never get my fill of either. What a celebration of seasonal eating and an appreciation for the delicate wonders of Nature.
    🙂
    Valerie

  • Marlene
    Posted at 16:45h, 09 June

    The ice cream looks luscious, but it’s the memories you brought back that really caught my eye. Strawberries, warm from the sun, made into jam, sliced over vanilla ice cream, my mother having such a surfeit of berries that she put a sign at the end of the laneway to give them away for free. My kids grew up on berries from my parents’ garden., enjoyed from the freezer all winter long. Thank you for this Canadian good memory.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:21h, 10 June

    Speak & Spell? Man, your parents were advanced. We played Eye Spy.

    My hopes aren’t dashed yet. The strawberries are still in blossom stage, but based on the history of the nearby mulberry bush, there won’t be anything left due to the early birds.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:22h, 10 June

    I’ve never had Saskatoon berries, so we’re even. Happy picking! I hope you write about it when the times comes.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:23h, 10 June

    Thanks, Sarah. Teary-eyed and grateful? My work here is done.

    I’ve never made strawberry jelly — just some jam. Enjoy the canning. I love opening jars of summer berries in the dead of winter. It gives me hope.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:24h, 10 June

    Your mom still has a basket? That’s amazing! Those berry baskets are hard to find now, but they may be making a comeback — at least I hope they do.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:26h, 10 June

    Oh, the Strawberry Social. Summer was indeed in full swing when the Strawberry Social arrived.

    Pick-your-own patches disappered here for a while, but they seem to be making a comeback. I’d love to have them become part of the summer again. I haven’t picked in a long time. I hope there’s time to do so again this year.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:28h, 10 June

    Say my name! Say my name!

    Great minds think alike, Dana. It just proves that berries and the act of gaterhing them was an important event in the lives of Canadians.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:30h, 10 June

    The sting of hot vinyl isn’t something you soon forget 🙂 Thanks for your kind words.

    I think you can make the ice cream without a churn, but you would have to stir it every half hour or so until it set, which might be a bit too much work.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:32h, 10 June

    You didn’t sneak a berry? I admire your willpower. I was completely incapable of delaying gratification in my youth (and not so great at it even at this stage in life).

    Seasonal eating brings an appreciation I think we’ve lost with year-round availability. Here’s to local fruit and vegetables!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 18:35h, 10 June

    Your mom gave them away? Wow. That must have been quite a crop she grew — especially since she also made preserves. I’m sure the neighbours loved the free berries! That was very generous of her.

    Strawberries warm from the sun are one of my favourite tastes. They do taste different than cold berries — which are enchanting in another way.

  • Marie Porter
    Posted at 13:07h, 18 June

    You know, I’d never really considered the U-Pick strawberries to be particularly Canadian…

    … but now, living in Minnesota? There are a few farms, but the whole “going to pick strawberries” thing isn’t so much a THING with people. Huh.

    Great post!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 13:57h, 18 June

    Interesting observation, Marie. I’m not sure if berry picking is a “thing” anymore. It was big during my childhood and we got really excited about it. A couple of other bloggers mentioned berry picking with their first Canadian memory. They’re close to my age, so maybe it’s generational as well as regional? Huh, indeed!

    Regardless, the ice cream works with store bought, Farmers’ Market and hand-picked berries 🙂