Strawberry Vanilla and Rose Ice-cream

The strawberries are early. They are small, sweet juicy and just slightly tart. I can honestly say that I never eat strawberries out of season they are nothing but a disappointment - so I gorge on them a this time of year not least because their prefect state is so fleeting - a rare find. Not ripe enough and they are perfumeless tasting of nothing and over ripe they simply loose their texture. Really strawberries are best served warm from the summer sun or left to ripen on their own they will develop a deep sweetness and it is at this point you capture the moment and devour them. If you have a glut then seize the opportunity and catch these exquisite berries most heavenly moment in ice-cream emphasizing their feminine charm with rose and vanilla.

Serves 8

Prep time 5 minutes

Cooking time 20 =- 25 minutes + 20 minutes to whisk / turn in to ice-cream

500ml double cream

200ml full fat milk

5 egg yolks

125g vanilla sugar (or caster sugar with a vanilla pod)

4 fresh roses or 3/4 drops of rose essence

425g fresh strawberries

1 Put the, cream, milk and egg yolks and sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and stir over a moderate heat. Keep moving the liquid using a whisk. ( add the vanilla pod at this point if you don’t have vanilla sugar)

2 Keep stirring as the custard thickens. This can take 20 – 25 minutes so take your time and don’t be tempted to heat it quickly (you’ll get scrambled eggs!). The mixture will thicken. When the custard easily coats the back of a spoon, remove it from the heat.

3 Check the rose petals for any extra guests and then drop them into the custard. Allow the custard to cool. I leave mine over night - but if you are in a hurry use rose essence instead.

4 Hull the strawberries and blend to a liquid in a food processor. Sieve the petals out of the custard and pour into the strawberries. Blend the mixture. It is now ready to make the ice cream.

5 (You can store this for up to 2 days before making it into ice-cream in a clean airtight container ) Transfer into an ice-cream maker, and follow the manufacturers instructions to make the ice-cream.

OR

If you make this by hand, then you’ll need to pour the mixture into a shallow freezer-proof container, Freeze for about an hour. Whisk it every 45 minutes of so 3–4 times as it is setting to prevent ice crystals forming and you will get a smooth result. (Use a timer to remind you as I often forget to go back and whisk!)