Strawberry & Dark Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I dedicate this post to the late Graeter’s Ice Cream Shop on Romney Road in Lexington, Kentucky.  May it rest in peace.

For anyone who grew up in Lexington in the 90’s and who frequented the Romney Road-Ecton Park corridor, Graeter’s undoubtedly left an impression on their childhood.  We went there nearly every weekend.  Before little league games.  After little league games.  It served as our babysitter while my Mom shopped for groceries at the Kroger across the street (or Randalls, as it should really be called – who else remembers the public outcry and picketing that took place when they were bought up by big, scary Kroger???).  We lived exactly one and a half miles from Graeter’s and, along with my childhood friends and my siblings, we would walk/bike/run there as often as we were allowed.  One of my favorite memories involves the nervous anticipation of receiving our report cards during middle school.  If you had just one ‘A’ Graeter’s would give you a free scoop of your favorite flavor.  Lines were out the door as every student at Morton Middle School fled from classrooms, as fast as their overburdened backpacks would allow, to claim their prize.  Now, from day one, I have been a savory girl.  Sweets just aren’t my thing.  And when I do have a craving for sugar I prefer it in the most basic form.  Graeter’s strawberry ice cream was my weakness.  Could anything be creamier?  And the richness of the strawberries were found in every last drop, letting the natural sweetness shine through the delicate, impossibly pale pink ice cream.  No artificial coloring here.  Just pure, uninhibited, strawberry silkiness.  I skipped the cone.  Nothing would interfere with my strawberry ice cream perfection.  There did come a day when I knew that nothing would do but chocolate and I would stray from my standby to indulge in chocolate chip.  It really should have been coined chocolate blocks – the chunks of roughly broken chocolate were so impossibly large.  The game was to see who could find the largest chunk of chocolate in their bowl.  As the years went by and my adoration of chocolate grew, I would find myself struggling at the counter at Graeter’s.  Strawberry or chocolate chip?  How could I possibly decide?  And then, one fateful day, while pondering over the various buckets of ice cream delicacies, my eyes wandered to the list of seasonal flavors.  It was there, loud and clear.  ‘Strawberry Chip Ice Cream.’  I blinked.  My two most ideal and revered ice creams combined.  It was nearly too good to be true.  But at the first bite I knew it was absolutely real.  My heart skipped a beat and all of my childhood happiness crept forward in my mind.  After several missed attempts at nostalgia, I have satisfied myself with this at-home version.  While it will never measure up to the perfection that is Graeter’s, it allows me a chance to remember the feel of the wind in my hair and the weight on my back as I fled from school, report card in hand, to claim my Graeter’s ice cream prize.

The heart of this ice cream lies in the strawberries.  Dice two pints of strawberries, discarding the tops.  Place them in a bowl and sprinkle two tbs of granulated sugar over top.  Toss to coat the strawberries with the sugar and allow them to macerate for 30-45 minutes, drawing out the juices.  Once macerated, pour the strawberries into a blender and puree until smooth.  Set aside.

While the strawberries are macerating begin the ice cream base.  Set two and a half cups half-and-half in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stirring often, warm the half and half until it is very hot but not boiling, approximately six to eight minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Separate eight eggs, discarding the whites and placing the yolks in the bowl of a free-standing mixer.  Add one cup of granulated sugar and beat with the wire whip attachment, on speed two, for thirty seconds.  Wipe down the sides of the bowl and make sure the mixture is smooth.

Continuing on speed two, SLOWLY pour the warmed half and half into the sugar-egg mixture.  I have a question: do you like scrambled eggs in your ice cream?  I certainly don’t and that is exactly what you will have if you don’t take the time to temper the eggs with the cream.  If it goes in all at once it will warm the eggs and you will be having uber-sweet scrambled egg yolks for dinner.  Sounds good, doesn’t it?  I transfer the half-and-half into a small cup which helps to control the pour.

Once all of the half and half is incorporated, pour the mix back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly.  The scrambled egg risk is present in this stage as well.  Heat until small bubbles begin to form and it is hot.  Remove from the stove and pour into a large mixing bowl.

Add two and a half cups whipping cream (I use regular, not heavy), two tsp vanilla and one eighth tsp salt.  Mix to incorporate.

Now, had we added four tsp vanilla we would have a beautifully simple base for vanilla ice cream.  But this, my foodie-friends, is screaming for strawberries.  Add the puree (two pints should yield about two and a half cups of puree) and stir, mixing thoroughly until the entire base is smooth and blended.  Transfer the strawberry base to an airtight container and chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours.  I’ve read that eight hours is sufficient chilling time but my ice cream was decidedly not the same when I took this shortcut.  Allow for the full 24 – it’s worth it!

We have one more VITAL component to attend to – the chocolate!  I’m a big dark chocolate fan and use 70% cocoa here.  Feel free to use whatever you prefer – milk or semi-sweet – and shred eight ounces.

Now I would like to take a pause and say thank you to my sweet brother.  Apparently he knows me better than I know myself.  Somehow he knew that I needed the ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid.  Top ten Christmas Gift, easy.  Love.  I’ve made way more ice cream than I ever anticipated (and have given as much of it away as possible – it is a liability to have in the house!) and have zillions of new combinations that I can’t wait to try.  Thanks for the inspiration brother!

Whether it is the KitchenAid attachment or another brand of ice cream maker, follow the directions for assembling the parts.  For the KitchenAid, once the pieces are in place and the bowl is attached, turn to ‘stir’ or speed one and add half of the ice cream base.  My bowl will only hold half of the batch this recipe calls for so I make it in two steps over a few days.  Churn the strawberry mixture for six to eight minutes and then add the chocolate (four ounces for each batch, in this case).  Allow to mix for two to three minutes more and then remove the bowl and transfer the ice cream to freezer-safe storage containers.  You’ll have to clean and re-freeze the bowl for at least 24 hours before you can churn the the second half of the batch.

And there you have it – the happiness of childhood summers all scooped up in one little bowl.  My sister, the queen of sweet treats, has given this ice cream an ‘A+’ – not too bad for this foodie-girl!

Makes Eight Cups

• two pints fresh strawberries
• two tbs granulated sugar
• two and a half cups half-and-half
• eight egg yolks
• one cup sugar
• two and a half cups whipping cream (regular, not heavy)
• two tsp vanilla
• one eighth tsp salt
• eight ounces dark chocolate (70% cocoa), shredded