The Churning Bush

So right off the bat, let’s start with the caveat that when you’re working with fruit in these quantities, you can expect a degree of variation in the resulting texture depending on the fruit’s water content. Saying that, a bit of iciness just makes it more sorbet-like, and strawberry sorbet is kind of amazing, so I’m not seeing a downside!

This recipe is based on one by Max Falkowitz (https://www.seriouseats.com/best-strawberry-ice-cream-recipe) with some inspiration from Stella Parks’s recipe in Bravetart, namely the addition of a dash of rosewater. The biggest difference is my use of a mixture of maltodextrin and dextrose instead of glucose syrup to make the ice cream creamier, but to be frank, this is mostly to keep this recipe in line with my others.

You can also, as Falkowitz does in his original recipe, include some chunks of strawberry that have been soaked in sugar and alcohol. Naturally you can leave this out, but don’t try and just include the strawberry without the sugar and alcohol mix – it’s essential for stopping the chunks from becoming too hard in the freezer. As for which alcohol to use, Falkowitz suggests an 40% alcohol (80 proof) like vodka, ‘or preferably, Cointreau’. I personally went with the Cointreau myself and liked the little orangey kick it added.

Additional strawberries or not, this ice cream is one of my favourites. The fresh berries and dash of rosewater leave the ice cream with a wonderful depth of flavour. Even if your texture doesn’t turn out perfect, I hope you’ll still enjoy it!

Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients

700 grams	Strawberries
400 grams	3% Fat oat milk
Powders
150 grams	Sucrose (White sugar)
100 grams	Dextrose (D-glucose)
50 grams	Maltodextrin
5 grams	Stabiliser, such as xanthan gum
Fats
65 grams	Refined coconut oil
15 grams	Neutral oil
Strawberry Chunks
150 grams	Strawberries (Cut into small chunks, about half a centimetre in width)
100 grams	Sucrose (White sugar)
25 grams	Cointreau or other 40% alcohol/volume (80 proof) liquor.

Directions

1. Combine all the powders in a bowl and set aside. Add the fats to the milk and start heating over medium heat. While heating, incorporate the powders and start whisking. When the custard reaches 80°C/175°F or starts to steam, take it off the heat, transfer it to a heat-proof container and cool in the fridge or an ice bath.
2. If you want to include chunks of strawberry in the final product, combine the cut up strawberry chunks, 100 grams of sucrose and liquor in a bowl and let rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Later, when the churning is finished, drain off the sugar and alcohol and fold the strawberries through the ice cream. You can reserve the syrup for use in something else.
3. Blend the strawberries into a puree, then pass it through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the pulp.
4. Once the custard has cooled to about room temperature, add in the strawberry puree and stick blend to homogenise. Refrigerate until the mixture reaches about 4C/40F. Churn following manufacturer’s directions.