I scream, you scream, we all scream for Roasted Strawberry + Buttermilk Ice Cream
It's Memorial Day, so I'll begin with a note of memoriam for those who have served in the US military and lost their lives in the line of duty. We thank and salute you for your bravery.
Memorial Day is typically filled with general Americana. Plus, beaches, BBQ, and the day off of work. We decided to stay home and relax since Matthew departs for a European festival tour in just a few days. We always try to jam pack not only quality time, but all of the best home cooking we can squeeze in since it's about to be 4 weeks of catering, lunch meat, and eating out.
Today, we were jonesing for some homemade ice cream. We are obsessed with Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. We buy it at our local Fresh Market, however, Matthew recently had the privilege of going to her storefront in Columbus, Ohio (color me jealous!) while on tour and brought the cookbook home for our library.
I make ice cream all the time. It's definitely one of those things that seems a lot harder than it really is because good ice cream has minimal ingredients - cream, milk, sugar, and just a few extras for flavor. I also prefer American-style (Philadelphia-style) ice cream over French egg-custard. It's just a bit icier, less rich, and much easier to make (I'm known to curdle an egg/cream mixture).
We decided on Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk - it felt All-American and appropriate for the holiday. Buttermilk makes me all warm and fuzzy - it's such a Southern tradition - my grandmother drinks it out of the carton. As for me, I much prefer it in my recipes over drinking. We also decided to make a recommended balsamic reduction drizzle.
I can't wait to figure out what to do with the leftover roasted strawberry puree - but I think I have a summer cocktail in mind!
This ice cream is absolute perfection - creamy and sweet with a touch of sour - I can't wait to make more from Jeni's. Knowing us, we'll be cooking our way through the entire book this year.
SOUNDTRACK: Early Rock 'n Roll Classics. Listen here.
COOKBOOK: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home