Miso & Roasted Strawberry Ice cream is my adaption of David Lebovitz’s indulgently delicious treat. Creamy, tart, sweet and with that Miso flavour, in the end, this ice cream will blow your mind. I promise!

Have you ever bookmarked a recipe and then forgotten all about it? Then come back to it, thought oh I need to make this and then forgotten about it again. It happens with me pretty often but this time, I have had the Miso & Roasted Strawberry ice cream from David Lebovitz bookmarked for over FOUR years! And finally made it last weekend.

When I first read about it, it amused me that one could use Miso in ice cream. Primarily a sharp soup condiment, I wondered what the taste would be like. This was about four years ago and the only Miso I could lay my hands on in Bangalore at that time was the black miso. Somehow, in my mind that didn’t work very well. I could have tried it with black or skipped it completely since I hardly follow recipes in full. But something about it made me want to go all the way and figure out the result.

The idea of roasted strawberries with pepper and balsamic isn’t new to me and the flavours are the same as one of the most popular jam recipes on the blog. So with that flavour combination in place, without miso, it would be something which I make and know will work anyways. So I waited and then I forgot! Yeah, I know so much for the excitement and curiosity!

Then a few months ago, N went to a Japan trip and brought me some white miso from the land of Miso! And this ice cream had to happen! Leaving a few tips here so that you don’t wait as long as I did to taste this deliciousness.

Tips for making good Strawberry Ice cream

The ice cream’s base is custard which means it contains egg. If you want to make an eggless version of the same, use this ice cream as a base. However, add miso to it and treat the strawberries the way I have in this post.
I have used an ice cream maker to churn the ice cream. If you don’t have one, fret not! All my life my dad made ice creams for us without an ice cream maker. All you have to do is, take it out of the fridge twice (or thrice if you are a patient person, I am not so I usually end at one) at 5-hour intervals and run it through your mixer to break any ice which is getting formed.
Though, I know I said that miso forms the backbone of this ice cream but the ice cream works very well without it too. I know it is ironical but that is what it is. I strongly urge you to use miso though, it adds a fantastic depth of flavour to it. White miso is now easily available at Natures Basket, Food Hall and many other gourmet stores.
Work well on that custard if you are making the version with eggs, be gentle and slow. Treat it with love and patience, keep stirring till it thickens and coats the back of your spoon. This really is one of the key points here. Also, do strain the custard. The point is smoother your custard the creamier your ice cream will be.

That’s it guys, you are ready to rock and roll. Go on chop those strawberries and get started to make this delicious Miso and Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream.

If you make this, share a picture with me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook? I would love to hear what you have to say about it

Miso & Roasted Strawberry Ice cream

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Course Dessert

Ingredients

For the Roasted Strawberries

500 gm strawberries
3 tbsp coconut treacle use honey if you don't have coconut treacle
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper

For the Custard Base

250 ml full fat milk (1 cup)
400 ml cream (amul is fine, 1.5 cups)
5 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
100 gm brown sugar (1/2 cup)
2 tbsp white miso

Instructions

Heat the oven to 180C. Roughly chop your strawberries in quarters.In an ovenproof dish, spread them in a single layer. Add balsamic vinegar, coconut treacle (or honey if you don't have treacle) and freshly ground pepper. Give it a nice mix using your hands, one thing I have learnt in cooking is don't be shy of using your hands, in fact, be generous with them. Put them in the oven and let the oven do it's magic till the strawberries are soft and floating it their own juices. This will take about 3-35 minutes.
Once the strawberries look cooked and the juices look tempting and slightly sryupy, take them out of the oven and let them cool slightly. You are just waiting for them to come to a point where you can handle them without burning your hands. About 5 minutes or so works for me, though I have to admit I am very comfortable with handling hot food. Wait for 10 if you want. Then with a fork or the back on a spoon, roughly mash the strawberries. We don't want to puree them but just make a rough mash. Leave a few whole if you like pieces in your ice cream. Set aside to cool completely and start working on your custard.
Like all custards, this custard is all about patience and your test of it. Custards are easy things to make really if you have it in you to be gentle with them. Start by heating milk and sugar together on a low flame, you do not want to boil it but want to dissolve all the sugar. While the milk and sugar are heating, beat together the egg yolks, vanilla and miso. You can use a hand blender but whisk just works fine. Beat the eggs till they are nice and frothy.
Bring the milk and sugar off heat and cool it down slightly by placing your bowl in an ice bath, which is nothing but a large container filled with ice on which your saucepan can sit. Once the milk mixture is slightly cool, slowly add the eggs in it gently whisking everything together.
Add cream to it, continuing whisking gently and bring the whole thing back to the gas stove. With heat on low, cook while stirring continuously making sure the custard is not sticking to the bottom. This is where you need to be most patient, do not increase the heat or be tempted to leave the mixture and quickly check Twitter or Instagram. The custard demands and deserves your full attention. Continue this till the custard is coating the back of your spoon. Strain the custard and pour into a bowl that can be covered and kept in fridge. Cool this for about 5-10 minutes and add the mashed up roasted strawberries. Mix it all up, forget your gentless that you had used with custard and make sure everything is well blended. Cover and chill in a refrigerator for about 4-5 hours.
After the ice cream mixture is chilled, start your ice cream maker, attach the frozen/chilled bowl (I know I didn't say before but I am assuming that you put the bowl of your ice cream machine in the freezer as per the instructions) of the and churn the ice cream according to the instructions given. Mine needs about 30 minutes of churning till I get a semi set soft serve. At this point I am mostly tempted to eat some and serve myself a helping. Do the same, it is most delicious at this point. Freeze the rest and take it out of the freeze 5-10 minutes before serving. Cut some strawberries while serving if you wish or pour some strawberry sauce on it. We like it just as it though, because mostly we are impatient people at home.
If you don't have an ice cream maker, fret not! All my life my dad made ice creams for us without an ice cream maker. All you have to do is, take it out of the fridge twice (or thrice if you are a patient person, I am not so I usually end at one) at 5-hour intervals and run it through your mixer to break any ice which is getting formed.