Urfa Biber – Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 whole egg
• 6 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2 cups diced strawberries
• 2-1/2 teaspoons urfa biber
• 1 tablespoon bourbon, or vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons beet powder (optional, for color)
• 1/2 teaspoon Murray River flake salt (reduce to 1/4 tsp if using sea salt or table salt)

Instructions

1. Bring milk and cream, bourbon (or extract), and 2 tsp. of the urfa biber to a simmer.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg and yolks together, add sugar and mix until fully incorporated.
3. Temper the milk and cream mix into the eggs by adding just a small amount of the hot milk at a time, and whisking continuously. Once half of the milk mixture is incorporated into the eggs, the remainder can be added in a steady stream. (If care is not taken during this step, the eggs will scramble in the hot cream.)
4. Pour the custard in to the sauce pan, and continue to whisk or stir constantly over medium-low heat to thicken. (Do Not Boil!) The temperature of the mixture shouldn't exceed 180 degrees Fahrenheit at any point during this step.
5. Dip a spoon or spatula into the mixture, and draw your finger across the back of the spoon through the mixture residue on it. If the track from your finger remains, and the mix doesn't run together to cover up the track, it's thick enough.
6. Pour the ice cream through a fine mesh strainer into a clean, chilled bowl (preferably metal for quicker cooling) and stir in the strawberries, omitting any juice that may have resulted in the bottom of the bowl, the remaining 1/2 tsp. of the urfa biber, the beet powder (if using), and the salt. Place the bowl over another container filled with ice to cool it quickly. Stir occasionally as it cools. At this point, the mixture can be covered and chilled in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours before being churned. If you're using liquid nitrogen, you can proceed to the freezing now. If you're using a traditional ice-cream maker, chill the custard until it's less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.*
7. Freeze according to your ice cream machine's instructions, or, pour a little liquid nitrogen directly in to the ice cream mix. Wait 45 seconds, then whisk vigorously. Repeat until ice cream is slightly thicker than soft-serve texture. Transfer to a freezable container, packing firmly. Press a layer of parchment paper directly on the surface of the ice cream, and then cover with a lid. Place in the freezer for 2-4 hours to fully set.

Notes