Home made Strawberry Ice Cream

Dear Readers,

If you have been wondering why Square Meals has been inactive for so long…we have no specific reasons/excuses. Personal issues have kept both of us extremely busy over the past month and we are very sorry for the long silence. We assure you that we will back in action soon!
Yours Deliciously,

Square Meals

Now that we are done apologizing, let's get cooking…or rather freezing. It is still extremely hot in Chennai and what goes better with the heat than a scoop (or more) of delicious ice cream. Soon after I got here, I visited one of Chennai's latest ice cream shops, IBACO. I was accompanied by two young cousins who were raving about the ice cream there and I went with high expectations…but I was disappointed. Their range of flavors like Electric Black currant, California Pistachio, Fig & Honey and more sound exotic but the taste was just about passable. I have definitely had much better tasting ice cream, from smaller vendors…like the ones by the beach. Better than any of those, though, is homemade ice cream. Long long time ago, my mother used to make ice cream at home. I remember how my relatives used to throng to our house for a scoop of my mom's ice cream. The all time favorite was vanilla ice cream topped with fresh mangoes…yumm!!! The recipe how ever had two special powders GMS(Glycerol monostearate) and CMC (Carboxy methyl cellulose), which was available only in some stores.

This recipe however, has only three simple ingredients, apart from the flavoring we add. So get creative and impress your family with an array of ice creams. Experiment with different fruit purees, syrups, herbs etc., and build your ice cream repertoire.

Ingredients

Milk – 1 cup

Cream – 2 cups

Sugar – to taste

Strawberry pulp – ¾ - 1 cup

Finely chopped strawberries – ¼ cup

Method

In a thick bottomed vessel, heat the milk, cream and sugar until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture thickens just a little bit. Allow the mixture to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the strawberry puree and pieces.

Once the milk/cream mixture has cooled completely, add the strawberry puree and stir well. Now fold in the strawberry pieces. Transfer to an air tight container and place in the freezer. For the next 6-8 hours, remove from the freezer every 2 hours and beat using a whisk it electric beater (on low speed). After the 8 hour period, leave it untouched until it sets completely (4-6 hours). Be patient and make sure you do not keep opening the container to take a quick taste/peek.  Bon Appétit.

Note: I divided my milk mixture to make three flavors: strawberry, coffee and chocolate. I added a couple of spoons of instant coffee powder, and it was quite successful. For the chocolate, I added a couple of spoons of drinking chocolate, but the final product was hopeless. This flavor alone was full of ice crystals while the other two were pretty smooth and creamy.

A Refreshing Drink for the Scorching Summer!

I am on vacation…in Chennai…in the middle of Summer! Enough said, right? Even though it has been two years since my last visit to Chennai, everything just falls into place the minute I step out of the airport; covering all the holes left by the long gaps between visits.

Chennai is popular for many things, but is most notorious for its scorching summer. We even joke about the climate here saying it just gets Hot, Hotter, and Hottest!  I was talking to a friend of mine from college, who is in the U.K. now, and when I told him that I was visiting Chennai in May, he goes, " Are you KIDDING, Chennai in May?"  Well, we are no strangers to the Chennai heat, Gomathi and I have faced the scorching Kathiri sun many a times, so it's not a major issue  even now! Also, I get to ride my two wheeler, which is an experience on its own. Ask me to drive the car here, and I shudder.

Getting to the recipe for today, we are keeping it real simple.  Staying hydrated is extremely important, especially when the outside temperature ranges from the upper 30s to the low 40s..and the best thirst quencher is definitely water.  No worries about sugar and calories here! I had this refreshing drink at an Italian restaurant in San Diego and added it to my list of things to try in India.

Ingredients

Water

Cucumber (thin round slices)

Lemon/Lime (thin round slices)

Mint leaves

Basil/Tulsi leaves (optional)

Method

Take a container of your choice and add water(cold/room temperature). Add the thinly sliced cucumber and lemon. Add the mint and tulsi (if using) leaves, give it a good stir and let it sit for a while, allowing the flavors to blend. If using water at room temperature, you could chill it after adding all the ingredients. This makes for a really invigorating thirst-quencher. Try it out today! Bon Appétit.