NOT YOUR USUAL...

...strawberry ice cream that is. Anyone who is a minimum familiar with my blog will notice I am not one for sticking to classics. I guess you could say I'm the anti- vanilla/chocolate/strawberry person (although from time to time a nice scoop of one of those isn't so bad) (oh, and no offense to the vanilla/chocolate/strawberry people...don't want to make myself any enemies out there hehe).

Because of the messed up weather we've had here in Paris, it had been months since I last pulled out the ice cream machine, but I heard it calling my name when we had some nice sunshine the other day (yes my kitchen appliances talk to me from time to time incase you're wondering). And the luxury of having an ice cream machine means you can experiment with flavours- which is indeed what I did this time around. So to inaugurate my ice cream machine for summer of 2010 (i had been waiting for this moment people!!!) I went for a not so common combination of strawberries and...

champagne?

sorry, no

hmm.. ginger?

nope...

vanilla?

definately NO

....

..

.

cardamom...?

YES!

Strawberries and cardamom are a fantastic match, trust me. It's not one you see too often, but my little finger tells me it might be the next big thing...or not... but in anycase it is worth the try, especially if you are one of those cardamom lovers out there.

Just add a pinch of ground cardamom to your ice cream mixture

When heating, the mixture has to reach a temperature of 82C-85C celsius. The fancy term for this is having it cooked ''a la nappe'', which means if you place a spoon in the mixture and swipe your finger on the back of the spoon it should form a visibly clear line.

I like to add the strawberry chunks in the mixture while it's still warm

And then very last minute, I decided to throw in some broken meringue for a bit of crunch...

There you have it, a scoop of strawberry-cardamom ice cream. Enjoy!

Recipe for strawberry-cardamom ice cream with bits of crunchy meringue

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
125gr sugar
300ml low fat milk
200ml liquid cream
Vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
A dash of rose water (optional, but it does a little magic)
Strawberries, diced
Meringue, broken into little pieces

How to make it:

Mix the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. In a pot, bring the milk, cream, cardamom and vanilla to boil. Pour the boiling milk mixture over the cold mixture (eggs + sugar) while stirring. Return to heat and continue to stir until the cream starts to thicken. This stage of cooking is known as “la nappe” which is achieved between 82-85C. If the cream is not heated sufficiently, the ice-cream will be thin and watery. Remove the pot from the heat and stop the cooking process by placing it in cold water mixed with ice cubes. Pass the mixture though a strainer and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Then transfer mixture to your ice-cream machine. Add the broken meringues before churning. Follow manufacturers’ instructions.