Tag Archives: Strawberries

Dairy-Free Strawberry Pistachio Ice Cream

Posted in Dessert by

Well I seem to have gone on hiatus from blogging…. Oops. I didn’t stop experimenting in the kitchen though! Just lazzzzyyyy. I’m breaking the silence with something really cool and unique I came up with recently that is perfect for summer (and easy on the tummy). I have become a huge fan of nut milks recently (homemade!) and thought it would be really cool to make a custard base for ice cream using nut milk instead of heavy cream. My mom LOVES pistachio ice cream so I had some raw unsalted pistachios on hand… Why not make pistachio milk ice cream?! Strawberries are a perfect pairing for pistachios and since it’s summer they are in season. This could be made vegan by omitting the eggs but the result would be icier. The texture is somewhere between ice cream and sorbet and it’s the perfect amount of sweetness. Enjoy!

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What you’ll need:

  • 3 cups pistachio milk (recipe follows)
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
  • Juice from one lemon
  • 1/2 cup roasted pistachios

Directions:

  • Heat pistachio milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat until just simmering (do not boil!). Remove from heat.
  • While milk is heating whisk egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in bowl until light and frothy. Add a ladleful of hot milk to egg yolks to temper, whisking hard. Pour egg mixture back into saucepan with the remaining hot milk and stir to combine.
  • Return custard base to low heat and stir continuously until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, about five minutes (can take longer).
  • Pour custard through a mesh strainer into a clean bowl and add almond extract. Cool then refrigerate for at least two hours (I typically do overnight).
  • Combine strawberries in a bowl with lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar. Let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  • Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor to desired consistency (I kept mine chunky). Add strawberries to custard base and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
  • Churn mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions (I did mine in a Cuisinart machine for ~25 minutes). The ice cream should look like soft serve. Add roasted pistachios and churn for 30 seconds (or longer) to combine.
  • Eat right away if you prefer soft serve texture or freeze for an hour to produce a harder ice cream.
  • Enjoy!!

 

Pistachio Milk:

  • Soak 1 cup raw, unsalted pistachios in water for at least one day (I typically do two).
  • Rinse nuts then place in blender with 2 cups of water. Pulse to break up the nuts then blend on high power for a minute.
  • Pour mixture through cheese cloth placed into a mesh strainer. You may need to squeeze the cheese cloth to get all of the liquid out. You should end up with ~3 cups of pistachio milk.
  • Keep refrigerated and consume within 3 days.

Strawberry Sunshine in a Glass

Posted in Cocktails by

A group of girls and I participate in a cooking club where we get together monthly for a themed feast. Everyone brings a dish that matches the theme, and some turn out better than others 🙂 Some examples of themes: Mexican, Mediterranean, Family Favorite, Farmers Market, etc. Needless to say, the nights are full of good food, good friends, and lots of wine. A few months ago we decided to switch it up a little and book a chef through Kitchit to come cook for us instead! The theme of the dinner was picnic – salad with beets, strawberries, and goat cheese; pork ribs with panzanella; and a cheesecake dessert. I decided to try my hand at making a cocktail that matched the theme and came up with this strawberry-lemonade type beverage that was a big hit.It’s more fruity and fresh than it is sweet which I prefer. Not only was it totally fruity and delicious but it was also stunning. Make sure to serve it in a pitcher for maximum wow factor.

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 bunch mint, leaves and stalks separated
  • 2 tablespoons + 1 cup water (divided)
  • 1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut in half
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
  • 2 cups vodka
  • club soda

Directions:

  • First get the mint simple syrup started. Combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the mint stalks and simmer until the sugar is totally dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool (if you have time put the whole mixture including the mint stalks in the fridge for a few hours).
  • Meanwhile make the strawberry puree. Blend the strawberries with the 2 tablespoons of water in a blender or food processor. The puree should be very smooth so add more water if needed (you definitely don’t want it too watery).
  • Once the simple syrup has cooled down combine it with the lemon juice and voila! Minty lemonade!
  • In a large pitcher combine the strawberry puree, lemonade, mint leaves, and vodka with ice. Stir well! Pour into individual glasses and top with soda water for a little fizz.

TIPS:

  • I literally looked up so many recipes for strawberry lemonade drinks before coming up with this one. All of them had different ratios of fruit to sugar to booze and it made me realize that everyone has unique tastes. This is how I like it – less sweet, more fruit, lots of vodka. I suggest before mixing it all together to play around with the ratios first. Make a drink with a little of the puree, lemonade, and vodka until you decide how much of each you want in your final pitcher.
  • For extra visual stimulation add sliced lemons and strawberries. Always important to see what you’re about to consume. We taste with our eyes first after all!

I apologize for the not very pretty picture. We got excited and drank half the pitcher before I got a chance to snap a shot 🙂

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