One of the best ways I can think of to use up extra eggs is to make ice cream. And in honor of the ice cream sundae’s anniversary, here is a great way to celebrate, (but really when it comes to ice cream do we need an excuse?)
The ice cream sundae is 119 years old, invented on Sunday, April 3rd, 1892 in Ithaca, New York by Chester C. Platt. It was first served as a Sunday treat after services to the Reverend John M. Scott. The Reverend enjoyed the refreshing, delicious dessert so much, that he aptly named it “The Sunday” (now spelled “sundae”) after the sabbath day. (History and Legends of the Ice Cream Sundae)
While the first sundae was actually flavored with a cherry syrup, this strawberry version would surely have the Reverend Scott coming back for more. The ice cream is not only delicious, but fun to make, and we kick it up a notch by drizzling homemade strawberry syrup over top. The syrup can be canned when the berries are at their peak, and enjoyed year round.
This delicious vanilla ice cream is inspired by an original recipe in The Ultimate Ice Cream Book by Bruce Weinstein. I TOTALLY recommend this book if you’re going to start making homemade ice cream. We’ve yet to try a flavor that we don’t LOVE!
We’ve taken this already extra rich and creamy dessert one step further by using real vanilla beans and an extra yolk (for added custard appeal)! Once you try this ice cream you’ll never go back to store-bought, I promise!
We make our ice cream in a Cuisinart Ice Cream Machine. When we’re done making ice cream, we wash the frozen container and store it in the freezer so it’s always ready, even for 2 a.m. cravings.
Ingredients:
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 8 farm-fresh egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
We start by cutting a vanilla bean in half length-wise. I get my vanilla beans in bulk from Starwest Botanicals. The up-front cost might be hard to swallow, but it’s a great bargain in the end, considering 3 vanilla beans at the grocery store cost around $12.00. Run the blade of a knife perpendicular to the bean across the inside to scoop out all those tiny delicious seeds!
Add the bean pod and the seeds to a pan and pour in the half-and-half. Heat until small bubbles appear around the edge. I let it sit and steep a bit to absorb all the vanilla goodness. Eventually, fish out the vanilla pod.
In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar and farm-fresh egg yolks.
Start adding the half-and-half mixture little by little to the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk thoroughly after each addition until it’s all well incorporated. I’ve been known to add the cream at this point and be done, but if you want to make sure the eggs are cooked thoroughly you can return the custard to the pan, and heat slowly before adding the cream.
Be sure to strain.
We put this in the freezer to cool. Don’t freeze it, just leave it in until it has a chance to chill, about 30 minutes.
I then pour it into our ice cream maker and let it freeze. It comes out deliciously creamy, decadent and wonderful. For sundae scoopability it will need to set up in the freezer for about an hour.
Now for the syrup. Last June we went strawberry picking and gathered sweet fresh berries at the peak of ripeness. By canning this sauce you can enjoy your summer harvest all year.
The original recipe is adapted from Canadian Living. (“Strawberry Sundae Topping,” created by the Canadian Living Test Kitchen)
Ingredients:
8 cups crushed strawberries
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp grated orange rind
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup orange juice
Start with 8 cups of fresh strawberries, washed and stemmed.
In a large bowl, mash the strawberries. Feel free to leave larger chunks, I think it makes the sauce delicious. I use a pastry cutter to make fast work.
Rind the orange.
In a pot simmer strawberries, orange rind and water for 10 minutes.
Add sugar, corn syrup and orange juice. Continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Ladle into sterilized jars and process 10 minutes. When cool, ladle over your homemade ice cream. Add whip cream and a cherry for nostalgia, dreaminess and that quaint 1950’s soda shop, diner feel!
To see other ice cream recipes including Oreo Cookie and Cake Batter visit my website at Iron Oak Farm.
1 Comment
MMMMMMMMMMM Good! Thanks for sharing…..