This super-easy dessert marries delicious summer berries with one of our all-time favorite Southern ingredients, buttermilk, which gives the ice cream an appetizing, cheesecake-like tang. We love to serve it in bowls with shortbread cookies crumbled over the top.
SERVES 6
4 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
1¾ cups heavy cream
1¼ cups buttermilk
8 ounces strawberries, trimmed and quartered (about 1½ cups)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a whisk. Then add ¼ cup of the sugar and continue to beat for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth and milky lemon-yellow in color. Set it aside.
In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, heat the cream and ¾ cup of the buttermilk, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reads 150°F and only the barest wisps of steam rise from the liquid’s surface.
Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the strawberries, the remaining ¼ cup sugar, and the salt to make a smooth electric-red puree (if you prefer a chunkier fruit texture in the ice cream, underprocess, leaving chunks of fruit the size you desire in the liquid). Reserve.
Pour the cream mixture in a thin stream into the bowl containing the egg mixture, whisking constantly until the liquids are completely incorporated. Add the remaining ½ cup buttermilk and the strawberry puree, and whisk to combine.
Place the custard in a 1-quart container and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, until the custard is very cold but not frozen.
Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions for 15 to 35 minutes, or until it is very thick and holds its shape. It should be the consistency of a very thick milk shake.
Place the ice cream in a container with a tightly fitting lid. If there is any space between the surface of the ice cream and the lid, pat a sheet of plastic wrap onto the surface of the ice cream. Cover the container and freeze until the ice cream has hardened, about 2 hours.
Fifteen minutes before serving, remove the ice cream from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Serve small scoops of ice cream in individual bowls.
