Strawberry v. 1.1 (Faux-lo Top)

Disclaimer: Rather than research and calculate this one to death, I decided to make things up as I went along on this one, changing my mind partway through the process, so this recipe probably includes unnecessary steps and suboptimal ingredient choices. I daresay it came out pretty well.

Makes: 3 servings (320 calories) Changes to the faux Halo top base:

• 237 g skim milk (instead of 366g)

• only the yolks of both eggs

Strawberry addition, three ways:

• 1 lb frozen strawberries (whole), thawed, divided

• 2 T erythritol

• 30 g (2 T) vodka

• 22 g (1 1/2 T) VitaFiber Syrup

• 1/8 t tartaric or citric acid

First, strain the juices from the strawberries and reduce these over medium heat until thick (coat the back of the spoon). Meanwhile, divide the strawberries into two halves (post hoc edit: 3:1 ratio better?). Set one half aside in the blender. Coarsely chop the remaining strawberries and toss in 2T erythritol and vodka: these will promptly produce even more juices. Add about half of these vodka-infused juices and all of the reduced strawberry juices to the blender with the strawberries and... Puree and, if princess is your middle name, strain. The chopped strawberries and remaining vodka-infused juices can chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to churn.

Prepare the base (with less milk) as usual, adding the strawberry puree at the end. Taste-test for sweetness and acidity (mine needed no adjustment).

Just before churning the base, strain the chopped berries once more. Whisk the Vitafiber Syrup, wondering if it has any of the properties of corn syrup, and the tartaric acid for bonus twang, into the juices. In the last minute of churning, fold in the chopped berries. Transfer the ice cream mixture into a long, shallow container in thirds, layering with the vodka-juice-how-the-heck-will-this-behave-in-the-freezer-syrup and freeze. Hope for the best.

The feedback I received was not particularly descriptive or eloquent, but here are the overall impressions:

- A bit hard straight out of the freezer (everything has been, lately) - Good flavor

- Berry chunks may not be very texturally noticeable (perhaps due to the freeze/thaw)

- Not particularly icy or watery

Will update with more impressions or future tweaks as tasting of the remaining two servings continues...

UPDATE: Welp, aside from the fact that this was his favorite Faux-lo to date, I didn't get much more out of our taste tester. Oh, to be more dairy-tolerant.

#sweet #recipetesting #icecream