I went strawberry picking!  It was humid and sticky and then I got rained on in the midst of it, but I managed to pick 6 pounds of beautiful berries two Sundays ago.

It’s so nice to see strawberries that are the shape and size strawberries are supposed to be, not those giant things you sometimes find in the grocery store.  I’m going to make it my mission to pick as much fresh fruit in-season this summer as I possibly can.  Next up: raspberries.  But until then, here is THE BEST strawberry ice cream recipe I have ever tasted.

I’ve been on an ice-cream-making kick lately so it didn’t take me long to decide what I wanted to do with some of the berries when I got home.  This recipe from the Humphry Slocombe guys is especially easy as it does not involved egg yolks and therefore does not need to be cooked over the stove to thicken the batter before mixing in your ice cream mixer.  You simply puree up some strawberries and then mix the puree with heavy cream, sweetened condense milk, a little sugar, a little salt, and a touch of balsamic vinegar.  (Trust me, it works.)

It makes the creamiest ice cream you ever did have.  If you don’t have an ice cream maker, I highly suggest you run out to purchase one right now and then make this the first thing you create in it.  So simple and so delicious.

Here’s Your Damn Strawberry Ice Cream (adapted slightly from “Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book” by Jake Godby, Sean Vahey, and Paolo Lucchesi)

• 1 pint fresh ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Put the strawberries in a blender and process to a smooth puree.  Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds or leave unstrained (I did not strain).  Transfer the strawberry puree to a large bowl; add the cream, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, salt, and vinegar; and whisk it all together until the sugar is dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and spin according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Eat immediately, or transfer to an airtight container, cover, and freeze for up to 1 week.