Ahh summer! Sunshine, the beach, swimming, lazy summer evenings, jandles (huh? say what? it’s the crazy word New Zealanders use for flip flops) and of course ice cream and berries – my favourite summer treats. What’s even better than ice cream and berries? In the words of my toddler “let’s smash ‘em”! That’s right! Let’s smash ‘em. Berry ice cream or better still No Churn Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream. Trust me, it sounds a little crazy but it’s darn good.
My dream has always been to have an ice cream machine, that and a double fridge with a crushed ice dispenser. Hey! I’m a food blogger, my dreams always centre around food. Even as a little kid I have dreamt of this (including the fridge) so much so that my brother and I were actually given a little toy ice cream machine. IT. WAS. SO. COOL! In actual fact you made the ice cream using a sachet of goodness knows what and the ice cream was pretty disgusting, but I was happy to overlook that because I had an ice cream machine! I’m not sure what was and still is so appealing about ice cream machines, maybe it’s some kind of Willy Wonker-esk appeal of a dessert making machine.
Unfortunately to this day my life is not complete and I still don’t have an ice cream machine – with such a little kitchen there is just no room for such heavy machinery. I am therefore often quickly disappointed when I read a recipe for ice cream and the instructions read: “place in ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions”. I feel cheated. So whenever I see a ‘cheat’s ice cream’, ‘no-churn ice cream’ or ‘instant ice cream’ recipe I am one very happy lady. Yes my fellow non-ice cream machine owning friends, you can now get excited too because this is one of those recipes! Just whisk together condensed milk and cream, add your flavourings, freeze and voila! Ice cream! Creamy delicious ice cream and not a machine in sight. Okay, I’ve now convinced you with the ice cream, how about the roasted balsamic strawberries? It really works! It is no stranger than salted caramel or pork and apple sauce. The balsamic vinegar brings out the tartness of the strawberries which is such a delicious contrast to the creamy sweet ice cream. I like to leave my strawberries quite chunky so you find big tart sorbet like strawberries in every scoop of the ice cream but if you prefer a more smooth and creamy consistency make sure you give the strawberries a good mash after they are roasted or you could even blend them.
It’s as easy as that, fresh, homemade Roasted Balsamic Strawberry ice cream (you’re not finding that one in the stores) and not a machine in sight.
Enjoy. Kate xo
No Churn Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 punnets 500g/1 lb strawberries, halved (or quartered if large)
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- a few drops of balsamic vinegar
- 3 tsp salted butter softened
- 2 cups of cream
- 1 cup 325g can /11oz sweetened condensed milk
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste see Note
Instructions
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Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F fan-bake.
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Line a baking tray with baking (parchment paper). Add the strawberries and coat with the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar, toss to combine.
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Scatter small knobs of butter over the strawberries.
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Place in the oven for 20-25 min, gently turning every 5 min during cooking to ensure they don't burn. Remove from oven and set aside to cool (be sure to keep the juices from the strawberries). Strawberries should be soft and juicy with some completely mushy and others still just holding together, if you want them more mushy then just squish a few with a fork.
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In a large bowl mix together the cream, sweetened condensed milk, salt and vanilla bean paste. Using an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form (see photo). Gently fold through the cool roasted strawberries (and their juices). Transfer to a loaf pan and cover tightly with cling film. Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours.
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Note: You can use the following substitute in any recipe: 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste = 1 teaspoon vanilla extract = 1 vanilla bean pod
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