We are not devotees of strawberry ice cream—except when it is freshly made from freshly gathered strawberries. Several years ago I bought one of those small Salton ice cream makers. The idea of not having to fuss with rock salt and ice, of being able to tuck it into the freezer to do its work, appealed to me. A roast or two has to be removed to make room for it but that is not a problem—we're talking about two hours at the most.
The problem with the Salton is that it is too small. Like a loaf of homemade bread which disappears in one-tenth the time of store-bought, homemade ice cream is spooned up and gone before you know it. The one-quart capacity of the Salton is inadequate. One of these days I shall buy the ice cream attachment for my small Kitchen-Aid which can make up to four quarts, and use the Salton as an auxiliary.
The Booklet
The other problem with the Salton is the recipe booklet. Terrible. All their recipes call for gelatin, an emulsifier, when the reason you make your own ice cream in the first place (aside from indulging in bizarre aberrations still unimagined by the likes of Carvel and Baskin-Robbins) is to get away from emulsifiers and such. You do not need them. Keep it simple.
Here is how to do strawberry in the Salton. For ice cream makers of more copious dimensions, you can double or triple the recipe.
Strawberry Ice Cream
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
2/3 to 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Mix the strawberries with three to four tablespoons of the sugar, depending on their sweetness. Allow to stand for about one hour. Scald one cup of the cream. Dissolve the remaining sugar in it. Stir in the half cup of unscalded cream. Force the strawberries through a coarse sieve.
You can leave a few larger pieces. Stir the strawberry mixture into the cream. Transfer to container of ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. Makes one quart.
Frozen Strawberry Ice Cream Torte
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp. kirsch, rum or cognac
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cups softened strawberry ice cream
An eight-inch almond pie shell (see below)
Strawberry sauce (see below)
Stir the cheese, spirits, sugar and almond extract until smooth. Stir in the ice cream. Spread in prepared, cooled almond crust and freeze four hours or longer. To serve, cut into wedges and spoon some of the sauce over each serving. Serves six to eight.
Almond Pie Shell
1 1/2 cups blanched almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg white
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grind almonds with sugar. Beat egg white until frothy and stir into almonds. Press mixture into bottom and sides of an eight-inch pie shell which has been lightly greased with sweet butter. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool before filling.
Strawberry Sauce
2 cups strawberries
2 to 4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. kirsch, rum or cognac
Slice the strawberries. Puree half of them in a blender along with sugar and spirits. Mix with remaining strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes one and a half cups.
