I am no fortune teller, no reader of palms. This blog is no crystal ball. But a funny thing happened back in January when I mentioned some changes afoot around here. I was referring to our move, as far as I knew, but perhaps this site knew better. Because a few days later, I learned there was a tiny something stirring, a something else, that is, that spelled a different kind of change:
Eli and I are expecting. I still can’t believe that I get to say that. I’m due at the end of September, and we’re over the moon. If my profile of late is any indication, it is also quite possible that I’ve swallowed the moon. It’s wild. I’m loving every minute.
At our big ultrasound in April, we asked the technician to write the baby’s sex on a card and seal it up. We thought it might be nice to find out a thing like that somewhere other than a doctor’s office, preferably in the presence of dessert. When my dad came to visit a couple of weeks later, we decided to let him tell us the news.
With ice cream.
We went to Toscanini’s and chose two flavors, one for a boy, and one for a girl. Then, we handed over the envelope to my dad. He opened it and, once he pulled himself together, ordered a scoop of the designated flavor. Eli and I sat and waited with our backs turned away from the counter. It went down a little something like this:
Then, up came the napkin, and we knew. It’s a…
STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM CONE! Meaningless information, I realize, until I explain that the other designated flavor was bananas Foster. (Banana - get it?) (And yes, Toscanini’s makes bananas Foster ice cream.)
Oh baby.
We can’t wait to meet her.
Strawberry-Sour Cream Ice Cream
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz
Today I’d like to share a recipe for a very special strawberry ice cream. It’s a Philadelphia-style ice cream which, unlike the French-style that’s made from an egg-rich custard, involves only cream. Without the egg yolks, Philadelphia-style ice cream is lighter and brighter than its French counterpart. That’s great news for the strawberries in this recipe. While a French-style ice cream can weigh down the flavor of the berries, here they get to shine. We had a couple of friends over for dessert when I made my first batch, and it was that berry flavor, they said, that blew them away. Eli was disappointed at first by the texture – it’s not as smooth as the French-style ice creams he’s used to – but I caught him with a bowl of two scoops today. I think he’s getting over it.
1 pound (450 grams) fresh strawberries, rinsed, dried, and hulled
¾ c. (150 grams) sugar
1 Tbsp. vodka or kirsch (I use vodka.)
1 c. (240 grams) full fat sour cream
1 c. (250 ml) heavy cream
½ tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Slice the strawberries and toss them in a bowl with the sugar and the vodka. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover the bowl and let stand at room temperature for about an hour. Every now and then, give the berries a stir.
In a blender or food processor, pulse the macerated strawberries and their liquid with the remaining ingredients. You’re not aiming for a completely smooth purée, so go easy. You want a slightly chunky consistency.
Refrigerate for 1 hour (or longer), then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream will be quite soft when you first scrape it from the ice cream maker, but will firm up significantly in the freezer.
Makes about 1¼ quarts (1¼ liters).
