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STRAWBERRY VANILLA TOASTED OAK ICE CREAM

Author Eva Kosmas Flores

Ingredients

  • 1 lb food safe oak chips untoasted (if you use toasted ones skip the toasting steps)
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 vanilla bean split down the middle
  • 20 medium-sized strawberries cut in half
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap the oak pieces in tin foil and then toast in the center rack of the oven for 2 hours. Remove the oak from the tin foil and set aside. Leave the oven on for later use.
  2. Use a butter knife to scrape the insides of the vanilla bean pod into the cream, reserving the empty husk.
  3. In a medium saucepan, heat the vanilla/cream mixture, milk, oak chips, and vanilla bean husk over medium low heat, covered, until the creamy mixture comes to a low boil, stirring every few minutes. Remove the pot from heat and allow the mixture to continue to infuse off heat, covered, for 1 hour.
  4. Meanwhile, evenly spread out the strawberry halves, seed side down, on a lipped baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, or until softened slightly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
  5. Strain the oak and vanilla bean husk out of the creamy mixture, reserving the creamy liquid and discarding the solids. Empty the liquid into a blender along with the roasted strawberries, honey, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth, then refrigerate the mixture until thoroughly chilled, about 4 hours.
  6. Pulse the mixture in the blender one more time post-refrigeration to mix up any vanilla sediment that has settled to the bottom. Empty the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions (I churn mine for about 20 to 25 minutes) before emptying it into an airtight freezer-safe container. Seal and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.