These days there is a far better selection of good lactose-free products available to those of us who are lactose intolerant. I love Green Valley’s lactose free yogurt, cream cheese and sour cream. I’ve been told they will soon have lactose free cottage cheese available which is excellent news as I use it in my favorite cheesy beef stuffed shells. Organic Valley makes lactose-free half and half, a real life saver when it comes to making desserts such as this strawberry ice cream. I love the simplicity of this recipe from King Arthur Flour. It doesn’t require simmering the sugar and cream, nor does it call for using eggs. It’s just a delight to be able to make lactose-free ice cream at home with the freshest fruit available as well as in flavors usually not found in markets.
Strawberries are in season right now so it’s the perfect opportunity to whip up some homemade ice cream. We still have some Pirie and Rapoza mangos on our trees which means mango ice cream is up next.
A portion of the strawberries are sliced thinly and mixed with sugar and vodka. The strawberries eventually go into the ice cream during the last few minutes of churning. They add a nice pop of extra strawberry flavor in every spoonful.
- 1 pound fresh strawberries
- 1¼ cups sugar, divided
- 3 tablespoons 80-proof liquor such as vodka
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 2 cups Organic Valley lactose-free half & half (or regular half & half)
- pinch of salt
- Wash, hull, and quarter 6 ounces of strawberries. Slice the quarters very thinly. Place in a bowl and pour ½ cup of the sugar and the vodka over the berries. Mix, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
- Wash, hull and quarter the remaining berries, and puree with an immersion blender or regular blender. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Measure out 1½ cups of the strained puree.
- In a large mixing bowl,whisk the remaining ¾ cup sugar with the puree. Whisk in the corn syrup and half & half until fully combined. Whisk in a pinch of salt, or to taste.
- Chill the mixture until very cold, about 2 hours. Transfer the mixture to the freezer and chill for another 15 minutes.
- Pour mixture into the ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. My Cuisinart takes about 25 minutes. In the last few minutes of churning, retrieve the sliced strawberries from the refrigerator and drain the liquid. Add the berries to the ice cream for the final few turns.
- Transfer the ice cream to a covered container and freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
