Strawberries and Elderflower Ice Cream

with Meringues

This is one of our favourite ice creams with a wonderful tangy taste of Summer.

We discovered that by adding the Elderflower cordial, (instead of the lemon) and adjusting the sweetness,

this gave an extra dimension to the quality of the ice cream.

For extra decadence,

You could make some meringues from the egg whites and then add some of them partly crushed when

you are half way through.   Or use shop bought ones!

Utensils

• Colander for hulling the strawberries
• Measuring jug for milk and cream
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Balloon whisk
• Electric whisk (for egg whites)
• Potato masher
• Large saucepan
• Large bowl for egg whites
• Large bowl for egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch
• Lemon juicer
• Cling film
• Ice cream maker (I have a Cuisinart)

Ingredients

• 700g strawberries, hulled and halved
• 2-4 tablespoons Elderflower cordial (optional)
• 300ml of Full Cream Milk (Jersey is best)
• 300 ml of double cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon of pure Corn Starch (to stop ice crystals forming)
  
• 1 - 2 cups of maple syrup or adjust according to personal preferences (freezing removes some of the sweetness), alternatively, you might prefer to use sugar or honey - all produce great results
  
• Juice of one lemon (if  you are not using Elderflower)
• Crushed meringues for extra decadence (optional)

French Meringue Recipe - click here

Method

1. Separate the eggs and set aside.
   
   
2. Wash the strawberries and pat dry.   Then de-hull the strawberries and place them into saucepan together with the Elderflower cordial, if using.
   
   
3. Gently heat the strawberries and as soon as they start to disintegrate, remove from the heat and at this stage, you might want to squash them gently with a potato masher so that they can mix with cream mixture.
   
   
4. Measure out 300ml of Jersey Full Cream Milk together with 300ml of double cream into a saucepan and gently bring almost to the boil, then turn off the heat.
   
   
5. Meantime, take a large bowl and whisk the cornflour into two tablespoons of sugar until well mixed. Then add the remainder of the sugar and mix well.   If you are using Maple Syrup or Honey, then mix the cornflour into a small amount of this and then add the three egg yolks.
   
   
6. For best results, it is advisable to use an electric whisk to thoroughly mix the egg and sugar mixture until pale and creamy. 
   
   
7. Slowly add the heated cream in small amounts to the egg mixture, stirring constantly and finally,  return the whole mixture back to the saucepan, gently heat, but do not boil, whisking thoroughly and when the custard thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a wooden spoon, using a strainer, pour the mixture through the sieve into a clean bowl, cover with cling film and leave to coo.  It is important to note that if you over heat, and/or don't stir constantly, the mixture can curdle and stick to the sides of the saucepan - to sieve it, will ensure the right smooth consistency.
   
   
8. At this point, you can add the strawberry mixture to the custard and gently swirl it around.
   
   
9. Place the bowl in your fridge and allow to cool for at least half hour or up to 2 hours or you can speed up this process by placing the custard bowl into an even large bowl filled with ice cubes - this is what I always do . 
   
   
10. Now transfer the custard mixture to the ice cream maker and churn the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  We did this for about 45 minutes, but you need to watch until it reaches an ideal level of freezing. PLEASE NOTE: never over fill your ice cream churner as you may probably have to churn in two sessions, so meantime whilst the first batch is churning, you can return the remaining half the mixture back into the fridge.
    
    
11. TO ADD MERINGUES (OPTIONAL) - pause the ice cream half way through the churning, whilst still reasonably liquid and add some crushed meringues and then re-start the churning
    
    
12. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-proof container (like a loaf pan) or one litre bucket with lid and freeze it until firm.
    
    
13. This recipe makes fabulous ice cream cones and even lollies, if you have moulds lurking in your cupboard.
    
    
14. Allow to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.