Fresh strawberry ice cream

I remember from high school philosophy, the importance placed on the topic of 'tempus fugit'. In other words, time flies. It seems like summer started yesterday and it's left us by today. The brevity of the seasons in the pacific northwest, has a clear impact on the fruit season.

All this talk is just a reflection of how fast time seems to go by. The boy and I moved in together almost two months ago, but it really feels like much longer than that. In a good way. It's been two months of happiness and extraordinary food.

The weekend after we moved, we went berry picking at Sauvie Island. The island is paradise by the city. It originates from the confluence of the Columbia and the Willamette rivers and it's full of farms and lovely beaches. If you live around the area or are visiting Portland, I highly recommend a visit to the farms. There's produce available for picking at all times of the year.

We went picking a bit too late for strawberry season. There didn't seem to be any strawberries left and nobody was bothering to find any. However, the boy saw a few unpicked precious red jewels and devoted himself to finding all the ones that were left. Words can't describe the taste of those strawberries. Tiny, intensely red and delightfully sweet. However, they were a bit bruised and they weren't gonna make it to the next day in good shape.

That's when I opened 'the perfect scoop' and found one of David's recipes. A combination of strawberries, heavy cream and sour cream. The tartness of the sour cream and the sweetness of the strawberries are a pairing made in heaven. Just like he says in the book, this is best when freshly churned. Unfortunately, the sour cream seems to make it a bit icier than other ice creams when it has been in the freezer for a while. But don't worry, it really won't last you long.

Strawberry sour cream ice cream
From 'The perfect scoop'

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vodka or kirsch (I didn't add it, but I bet it'd be great)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Slice the strawberries and toss them in a medium bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch, if using. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve and all of the strawberries are coated. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. At this point your strawberries will release all their wonderful juices. So be patient and don't skip this step. 

2. Pulse the strawberries and their liquid with the sour cream, heavy cream, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor until almost smooth, but still slightly chunky.

3. Refrigerate mixture for at least one hour. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.