strawberry and vanilla ice cream

well actually this is quite a mistake to make an ice-cream in this chilly day but some weeks ago were so hot making me crave for an ice-cream. i've decided to make this strawberry-vanilla ice cream on those hot days and stocked my refrigerator with strawberries few days later. too bad the weather turns rainy again and today is freezing me. maybe i'm a little exaggerating, though. ha ha.

you know, i have some sort of (bad)habit. i always like to stock my refrigerator or baking shelf with stuffs just before i am having my exams. why? because i love to cheat with my study time, naughty me. ha ha. so anytime i need some break or a refreshment, i can rush to the kitchen and do something there. kitchen really has a magic in me. it can heal me, it can cure my mood. last friday, i found one day, one day when i could be free without thinking any of my examinations. i can freely be in the kitchen and i decided to make this strawberry and vanilla ice-cream.

it feels so nice to know that i can eat my own homemade ice cream at home. there are some issues spread about how some ice cream was made not in a very appropriate way and from a freakin' bad ingredients. it seems scary just to know it or even scarier when i noticed that they have ever stayed in my stomach! thus, i am thankful to have my own ice-cream machine and some great ingredients to make an ice-cream that is knowingly healthier.

by the way, do you wanna know something? well, it's a good news for me and hopefully for you too. this beloved blog, 'Mari Bermain di Dapur', just being listed in Indonesian Food Blog List by Bayu Amus at epicurina.com. i really am feeling so flattered and grateful for being listed there, how can i not be? there are still sooo many wonderful Indonesian blog out there waiting to be listed instead of me. well, it's still a good step though and if it's not because of you, all of my reader anywhere you are, this blog wouldn't be listed there. thank you so much and much and much! :)

Strawberry and Vanilla Ice Cream

from Tartelette

4 egg yolks

1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar

2 cup half and half

1 vanilla bean, split open

1 cup strawberries, hulled and quartered

directions:

1. in a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar until pale and thick.
2. in a saucepan set over medium heat, bring the half-and-half and vanilla bean to a simmer, without letting it come to a full boil. slowly pour the hot cream over the egg yolks mixture while whisking to temper the yolks.
3. pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream coats the back of spoon. it should register 170 degree F on a candy termometer. at this point, you have made a custard sauce (cream anglaise). let cool completely, strain and refrigerate until cold. 
4. while the custard cool, prepare the strawberries. place the quartered strawberries and the remaining measurement of sugar into a small heavy saucepan over medium heat and cook just long enough for the strawberries to soften and release some juice. remove from heat and let cool.
5. once both the fruit and custard are cold (preferably chilled overnight). process the custard first to your ice cream machine and toward the end of the churning process, throw in the berries.

what happened in my kitchen?

• i didn't have half and half so i substitute it with 1 cup heavy cream + 1 cup milk. it's a good substitution, just replace half and half with milk and cream mixture by 1:1 ratio.
• i added light rum into my strawberry mixture, because according to David Lebovitz's book, The Perfect Scoop, alcohol can make your ice-cream texture smoother. and yes, it is..

well, i guess this post is long enough to read. i hope you enjoy the reading..
thank you for being such a wonderful reader!
good day!