Strawberry Basil No-Churn Ice Cream
What food do you crave on those warm sunny spring days? I crave ice cream, fresh fruit and salads filled with fresh herbs from my garden. One of my favorite combinations is strawberries and basil. The two just compliment each other perfectly. The strawberries taste so bright and fresh and the basil is warm and sunny. After all, what is more enchanting than the classic combination of strawberries and cream? Strawberries, cream and basil, whipped into no-churn ice cream.
Without an ice cream machine, making homemade ice cream is challenging. So, when I discovered Nigella Lawson’s No-churn coffee ice cream recipe last year I was thrilled. At last ,I can make homemade ice cream. I am not sure who came up with the idea first, either Nigella or Martha Stewart, but it doesn’t matter because it is brilliant and now is a universal recipe. No-churn ice cream is so simple and easy to make, even people with ice cream makers will want to make no-churn ice cream.
How to Make Strawberry No-churn Ice Cream
The basic no-churn ice cream recipe is simple with only 3 ingredients, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and flavoring like vanilla or freeze-dried coffee granules. However, if you want fruit flavored no-churn ice cream the fruit must steep in the heavy cream for about 20 minutes. It doesn’t take long for the cream to taste like strawberries, but it does take time for it to chill before you can whip it up into fluffy peaks. Flavoring no-churn ice cream with fresh fruit adds extra time to the overall amount of time to make this ice cream, but it is worth it and essential. The strawberry basil cream, or any fruit flavored cream, won’t whip unless it is completely chilled. This process takes about 3 hours resting in the refrigerator.
Additionally, you must plan for 6 hours to properly set and freeze the no-churn ice cream. This is not a dessert for those spontaneous moments, but your anticipation will be rewarded with homemade ice cream. I did notice the longer, as in days, the no-churn ice cream sat in the freezer to harder the ice cream got. I love the texture within the first 24 hours of making it. It is like a cross between soft serve and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream with it is smooth and creamy texture.
Other than allowing enough time for chilling and freezing, no-churn ice cream is easy to make and tastes just as delicious as churned ice cream. First you whip the heavy cream till fluffy with stiff peaks, then gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk. You do not need more sweetener because the condensed milk is sweet enough for the whole mix. One other area to watch out for is mashing the strawberries too much. The pulp could affect the texture of the ice cream if there is a lot of strawberry pulp in the cream.
#strawberriesarethejam collaboration
Along with 80 plus food bloggers and Instagramers, on April 25th we are celebrating this spring featuring strawberries #strawberriesarethejam for a social media strawberry party. Strawberries are not quite in season here in New York, but they are bursting open in other parts of the US. After this crazy sprinter I am wrapping myself in sunshine by any means possible. This collaboration is made possible by Rebecca Bloom and Ruth Bloom the mother daughter team of Square Meal Round Table. We shared our seasonal recipes and ideas over this past year following their inspiring seasonal selection. Below my recipe is the list of all the participants in the strawberry party. Please check out what other creative food lovers are making with strawberries.
More Strawberry Inspiration on Lemon Thyme and Ginger
Grilled Chicken Salad with Yogurt Avocado Dressing
Nifty Cake with Strawberries Peaches and Cream
Gluten free Nifty Cake with Strawberries Peaches and Cream
Strawberry Basil No Churn Ice Cream
I love how easy it is to get real strawberry flavor into ice cream just by steeping the berries in cream for several minutes. It is a great technique and an easy way to build up more flavor. I love strawberries and basil together. They pair almost as perfectly as strawberries and cream, No-churn ice cream is so easy and is a great alternative if you do not own an ice cream maker. Adding the strawberry flavor takes some time and the cream must be completely chilled before you can whip it. Infuse the cream and chill it the night before, then make the no-churn ice cream the next morning.
Note: Allow for a minimum of 3 hours to chill the strawberry basil infused cream before whipping.
Makes about 40 oz (1 liter 250 ml)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (500 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 lb. (453 g) fresh strawberries, stems removed and rough chopped divided
- 3-6 medium size basil leaves see notes
- 1- 14 oz can (396 g) sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Infusing the cream
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Pour the heavy cream in a medium non-reactive sauce pan. Turn the heat to medium. Add 10 oz (296 g) of fresh strawberries and the basil leaves to the cream. Mash up the strawberries in the cream with a potato masher. Bring the strawberry cream just to the boiling point. Turn off the heat and let the strawberries and basil steep in the cream for 20 minutes. Taste the cream and add more strawberries if you want more strawberry flavor.
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Pour the strawberry basil cream through a fine mesh strainer held over a small bowl. Strain out the strawberries and basil leaves from the cream. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cream is completely chilled, about 3 hours. You can prepare this step the day before you make the ice cream.
Making the no-churn ice cream
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Pour the sweetened condensed milk in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
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Take the chilled cream out of the refrigerator and using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer beat the cream until fluffy and stiff peaks. Be careful not to over-whip the cream.
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If adding chopped strawberries into your ice cream, rough chop about 5 strawberries.
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Add a quarter of the whipped cream to the bowl with the condensed mile and fold in to loosen it up. Add the remaining whipped cream to the condensed milk and fold in until completely Incorporated. Be careful not to deflate the cream.
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Pour the strawberry basil condensed cream into an 8-inch (20 cm) loaf pan or a 2-quart (2 liter) freezer safe container with a tight-fitting lid. If you are adding fresh strawberries to your ice cream, pour about half of the mixture into the container and scatter some chopped strawberries over the top. Add the remaining cream and sprinkle the remaining strawberries. Take a knife or chop sticks and swirl it through the cream mixture.
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Smooth out the top and cover the surface with wax paper or plastic wrap to prevent ice crystals. Freeze for 6 hours or until set. Serve in a bowl with your favorite toppings like chopped pistachios, chocolate sauce, or more strawberries. Or serve in an ice cream cone.
Recipe Notes
Depending on the size of your basil leaves will depend on how many you need to infuse in the cream. Start with four leaves, then after the cream has steeped for 8 minutes, taste the cream. Adjust the basil with more or less basil leaves if you feel it needs it.
#strawberriesarethejam collaborators
Check out all the great strawberry recipes from all the #strawberriesarethejam participants. All blog posts should be live on April 25th 2018. As this is a collaboration of individuals from around the world the timing could be spotty. If you get a 404 page, try again at a later time. Some of the titles do not have links but you can copy and paste them in your browser. You can follow everyone on Instagram using the #strawberriesarethejam.
Square Meal Round Table’s Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Pavlova
The Cooking of Joy’s Strawberry Matcha Cream Cheese Tart
This Healthy Table’s Strawberry Tahini Shortcake
Flours in Your Hair’s Strawberry Milk Donuts
The Wood and Spoon’s Strawberry Icebox Pie
Smart in the Kitchen’s Rustic Strawberry Galette
The Herb and Spoon’s Strawberry-Jam Filled Brioche Donuts
Better with Biscuit’s Straw “berry” Cobbler
My Kitchen Love’s Strawberry Rhubarb Tart
Sift and Simmer’s Rose Strawberry Hibiscus Mille Crepe Cake
What Great Grandma Ate’s No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars (Paleo, Vegan)
A Modest Feast’s Greek Yogurt With Crispy Quinoa and Roasted Strawberries
Hola Jalapeno’s Strawberry Pink Peppercorn Margarita
Worthy Pause’s Strawberry-Basil Shrub Cocktail
Hot Dishing It Out’s Panna Cotta with Strawberry Jelly
Figs & Flour’s Shrimp Tacos with Strawberry Apricot Salsa
Pie Girl Bakes’ Strawberry Ginger Pie
Crumb Top Baking’s Strawberry Chia Jam Oat Bars
The Gourmandise School’s Strawberry Pistachio Salad
Tiny Kitchen Caper’s Strawberries and Cream Pound Cake
Cook Til Delicious’ Mini Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Ganache
Something New For Dinner’s Watermelon, Tomato and Strawberry Salad with Burrata
A Spicy Perspective’s Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake
Easy and Delish’s Strawberry Brigadeiros
Plays Well with Butter’s Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese, Grilled Chicken, & Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette
Katherine in Brooklyn’s Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream
Sugar Salt Magic’s Strawberry Mousse Tart
The Healthy Sins’ Coconut Flour Crepes Topped with Fresh Strawberries and Coconut Yogurt
Lemon Thyme and Ginger’s Strawberry Basil No Churn Ice Cream
Jessie Sheehan Bakes’ Strawberry Basil Turnovers
Bavette Meat & Provisions’ Pickled Green Strawberries
Rezel Kealoha’s Apple Cider Rose Poached Strawberries with Thyme Flowers
Made from Scratch’s Roasted Strawberry and Basil Ice Cream
Eat Cho Food’s Strawberry Basil Glazed Donuts
What’s Karen Cooking’s Strawberry Eton Mess
More Icing Than Cake’s Strawberry, Balsamic & Black Pepper Babka
What Annie’s Eating’s Vegan Strawberry + Basil Ice Cream
Fufu’s Kitchen’s Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches
Flotte Lotte’s Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches
Rumbly Tumbly’s Strawberry Scones
Well Seasoned Studio’s Classic Vanilla Layer Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream and Fresh Strawberries
A Small Kitchen in Genoa’s Italian Riviera Strawberries Salad
Maren Ellingboe’s Angel Food Cake with Whipped Cream & Strawberries
Cooking with Cocktail Ring’s Basil Balsamic Strawberry Shortcake
Reencontrándome con la Cocina’s Chocolate Meringue with White Chocolate Mousse and Strawberries
Le Petite Eats’ Strawberry Elderflower Ice Cream Sodas
Clean Plate Club’s Mini Strawberry Bundt Cakes with Lemon Glaze
Just Date Syrup’s Strawberry Date Syrup Oat Crumble
Well Fed Soul’s Strawberry Almond Mascarpone Cake
Marianne Cooks’ Strawberry Madeleines
Food Solutions’ Strawberry Soup (Savory and Sweet)
Champagne and Cookies’ Strawberry & Sesame Whole Wheat Pop Tarts with Strawberry Tahini Glaze
Annie Campbell’s Strawberry Pavlova
Blossom to Stem’s Mezcal Lime Strawberry Pavlova
Cosette’s Kitchen’s Strawberry Shortcake
Ful-Filled’s Lilac Sugar Strawberry Shortcakes with Greek Yogurt Whipped Cream
Babby Girl Yum’s Strawberry Spinach Almond Salad
An Amazing Appetite’s Vanilla Strawberry Tart
Cocoa and Salt’s Strawberry Pistachio Tart
Frosting and Fettuccine’s Strawberry Basil Layer Cake with Strawberry Simple Syrup
Baking the Goods’ Mini Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes
My Berkeley Kitchen’s Strawberry Kale Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
No More Mr. Nice Pie’s Fresh Strawberry Pie
© 2018, Ginger Smith- Lemon Thyme and Ginger. All rights reserved.
Kylie
April 25, 2018 at 2:02 pmThis ice cream is so perfect for summer!
Ginger
April 25, 2018 at 8:22 pmThank you Kylie. I really appreciate you saying hello.
Blogtastic Food
April 25, 2018 at 8:28 pmBeautiful recipe and beautiful photography. Great work Ginger!! Love your blog (:
Ginger
April 25, 2018 at 9:43 pmThank you Nicolas. I am relatively new to food photography, though I have been involved with photography for most of my life. It is challenging at times but I always learn something new. Thank you for saying hello.
Blogtastic Food
April 25, 2018 at 10:50 pmmy pleasure. you are doing a fabulous job (:
Trina and Tina
April 25, 2018 at 9:29 pmGreat big yumminess!
Ginger
April 25, 2018 at 9:44 pmThank you Trina and Tina.