Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve seen this recipe.  It’s been floating around the blog scene all summer.  The title alone caught my attention.  You see, in my opinion, sour cream just about makes everything better.  It’s creamy and adds a tanginess that I love.  Using it as an ingredient in ice cream intrigued me.  Also, once I skimmed through the ingredients I saw that no eggs were involved.  It seemed that this would be very simple to make, and really it couldn’t have been more simple… which is just my style.

When the ice cream finished churning in the ice cream maker, everyone who was over at my house at the time {my husband, niece, and brother-inlaw} couldn’t keep their fingers out of the bowl as I was trying to put it in a container to freeze.

This is the first homemade ice cream I have attempted by myself and I will definitely be making it again.  Before investing in my own ice cream maker, I borrowed my mom’s that she had gotten as a wedding gift.  I think it was one of the first electric ice cream makers made… it was ancient {31 years old to be exact}.  Besides being gigantic, it worked out great.  I haven’t attempted ice cream without a maker, but here is a tutorial from The Brown Eyed Baker on how to make it without one.  I highly suggest you try this recipe sometime soon… it’s absolutely delicious!

Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream {print recipe}
1-pound fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream {reduced-fat}*
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or seeds scraped from 1/2 a vanilla bean
1/2 to 1 tablespoon vodka or kirsh {optional}

Combine the sliced strawberries in a medium bowl with the sugar, lemon juice, zest and vodka {if you choose to use it}.  Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, to let strawberries macerate and all the juices combine together.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a blender or food processor and add the sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla bean.  Pulse briefly until almost smooth but the strawberries are still slightly chunky.  Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  This recipe yields about 6 cups.

*Also note that in the recipe I used reduced-fat sour cream.  I’ve read on other blogs that using the full fat is best and makes for a creamier ice cream.  However, I try to cut corners where I can and to me it made no difference at all.  I also left out the vodka and my ice cream was still rich and creamy {although next time I’ll probably add a 1/2 tablespoon, just a small amount so it doesn’t interfere with the taste}.  I just had to let it sit out for a few minutes to soften slightly, but it didn’t seem to get freezer burn and icy like some ice cream does.

Recipe is adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.