Fresh Strawberry & Oreo Cookies Ice Cream with Strawberry Vodka Sauce

Makes around 1.5 quarts of ice cream.

In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, sugar, 1 cup heavy cream and salt. Once the mixture is hot and steaming, remove from heat.

Now pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set a strainer over the top of this bowl. Prepare a larger bowl by filling it with some ice to use as an ice bath—you’ll need it in a few minutes.

In another separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and then add little warmed up milk. Stir together then pour this back into the saucepan with the rest of the hot milk mixture.

Cook the custard on medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. It’s done when you run your finger over the spatula and it leaves a mark that shouldn’t flow back.

Immediately strain the mixture into the other bowl of cream, then put that bowl into the ice bath and stir until cool. Add the strawberry puree and gently mix it.

Cover the mixture and refrigerate it thoroughly for few hours or preferably overnight. Then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While churning the ice cream slowly add the crushed Oreo cookie pieces through the top of the canister.

Meanwhile for the sauce, cook strawberries and sugar in a small pan over medium heat. Let the strawberries release all of their juices. Using the back of a wooden spatula, break them until you get a thick syrup. Add vodka while the pan is still hot and let the alcohol burn off at medium low gas. Be careful with this step. Once the mixture thickens remove pan from heat. Once cooled, keep the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

When ice cream is ready, cover it tightly and freeze until firm. Freeze at least 2-3 hours before serving to get hard ice cream or have it soft serve style immediately.

Serve ice cream with few crushed Oreo cookies and strawberry vodka sauce on top. Skip the sauce for kids or make sauce without vodka.

Happy summer!