Strawberry season came and went in the blink of an eye. The oversized, well-manicured berries from the perma-sunny environs of California and Mexico (as those above) are still on the shelves here in Portland. But for three short weeks, we were spoiled with pints of fresh Mount Hood strawberries. Sadly, the diminutive, beautiful, luscious, juicy jewels have already passed us by. But before they made their disappearance, I was able to polish up an iconic summer recipe, just in time for a 4th of July fête.

Drawing inspiration from Recipes from an Italian Summer, I restyled a wild strawberry ice cream into a dairy-free incantation. While mentally adjusting the ingredient ratios, I inadvertently used twice the amount of guar gum I had intended. This proved a happy accident, yielding a rich and flavorful ice cream with a decadent mousse-like texture. The silky mouth-feel, in harmony with the complex earthy palette of the berries, yielded results akin to summer in a bowl.

This recipe may well work with your standard-fare fresh or frozen supermarket strawberries (I can’t vouch because I haven’t tried either… yet). But, if you are able to get your hands on a pint of deliciously small and sweet heirloom varietals, you are in for a truly special treat.
Read More »