No churn roasted strawberry ice cream

You want strawberry ice cream to taste of strawberries, right? And that's exactly what happens when you roast the berries first. It's an extra step, but so worth it for delicious, creamy and easy homemade roasted strawberry ice cream.

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Over Memorial Day weekend, we had a really warm Sunday. Thankfully, I knew ahead of time and had a plan. Leftovers for lunch, sosaties (South African apricot and curry marinated kebabs) for dinner and homemade strawberry ice cream as a treat. 

I had been looking in to no churn methods, since we really don't have space to justify getting an ice cream maker. Many pointed to the same basic combination of sweetened condensed milk with whipped heavy cream. I found The Kitchn's post helpful in explaining why it works to in effect replace what an ice cream maker does.

Next I started thinking about flavors. I love roasted and grilled fruit as the process really intensifies the flavor. Having made grilled pineapple ice cream last year (with a different method), I opted to try roasted strawberries here. And it was such a good choice. 

If you've ever felt strawberry ice cream was not all that strawberry-like, then this one will definitely win you over. Roasting really brings out the flavor and in the best possible way.

Steps to make no churn roasted strawberry ice cream

1. Hull and cut the strawberries in halves or quarters, depending on size.
2. Put strawberries in roasting dish, toss with a little sugar and roast until juices flow. Leave to cool.
3. Put cooled strawberries and sweetened condensed milk in food processor and pulse until well combined.
4. In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks.
5. Carefully fold the cream into the strawberry mixture then transfer to a container, cover and freeze.

You can use whatever container you like to freeze this, but a loaf tin works very well to then be easy to scoop from after.

The quantity I have made here freezes in about 4 hours, but for a larger quantity you will probably need at least 6 hours or overnight. The longer it is in the freezer, the firmer it will become. Of course, if you are a little impatient, you can have more of a soft serve. Either way, it will taste good.

If you leave it a few days, you will probably want to sit it out or put it in the fridge a few minutes before you serve to make it easier to scoop. Not that it gets a chance in our house, but apparently from other similar recipes I looked at, it should keep about 2 weeks in the freezer.

How to change up the flavor of roasted strawberry ice cream

I'd certainly recommend you stick with roasting the berries, but it can be fun to play around with other flavors in there. For example, try these:

• Add a little balsamic vinegar to the strawberries before roasting (instead or as well as the sugar).
• Finely chop some mint or basil and add when blending in food processor - both go well with strawberry.
• Roast a mixture of berries rather than just strawberry for a mixed berry version.

You can also vary how you serve it, so as well as being delicious plain, you could add a espresso fudge sauce or nutella sauce alongside. Alternatively, add some fresh berries or berry compote.

Small batch ice cream

I know some people can easily eat lots of ice cream, but I'm (usually) not one of them. As a result, this recipe makes a relatively small batch. For us, this is the perfect amount to give the four of us a decent scoop and then it's done.

I admit, I'm bad that sometimes I forget if odd bits are left then they go to waste, so smaller batches are perfect. Plus, I think it's easier to multiply up a recipe than cut it down, so figured this gives you that flexibility. 

I managed to find some little 3.5oz/100g cans of sweetened condensed milk, so this recipe conveniently uses one of those. If you don't find them, it's around a quarter of a regular can. 

I'm looking forward to playing around with flavors using this no churn method, but for now, this roasted strawberry ice cream was a huge hit and definitely one we'll repeat. Sweet, creamy and intensely, and deliciously, strawberry-flavored. In other, everything you could want.

Try these other ice cream flavors:

• Cherry ice cream
• Pumpkin ice cream
• Nectarine ice cream
• Roasted banana ice cream (all above are no churn)
• Plus get more seasonal ideas, both sweet and savory, in the summer recipes archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

Try these other berry recipes:

• Lattice Top Blackberry Pie by Palatable Pastime
• Make-Ahead Mixed Berries Baked Oatmeal by Hardly A Goddess
• Mini Fruit-topped Pavlovas by Food Lust People Love
• Mixed Berry Bubbly Pies by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Mixed Berry Cheese Danish by Cookaholic Wife
• Roasted Blackberry-Cherry Tomato Chutney On Venison Medallions by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Strawberry Crisp with Pepita & Chia Seed Topping by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Strawberry Shortcake Bars by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Strawberry Shortcake Cookies by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Vegan Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake by The Baking Fairy

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