Strawberry Frozen Custard with a2 Milk®

This post brought to you by The a2 Milk Company™. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Ceci Bean.

The stars really aligned in our household when we were gifted an ice cream maker around the same time the strawberries in our garden started ripening. It felt like strawberry ice cream was our destiny. 

The first night we tested the ice cream maker, we had no heavy cream in the house. While we could have run to the store to grab some cream, I wanted to see if we could create something delicious with what we had on hand. Thankfully, we had a carton of a2 Milk® which meant that whatever we made could be enjoyed by even the most sensitive stomachs in the family. 

If you aren't yet familiar with a2 Milk®, it is the only dairy product on the market which contains the A2 protein. All other milk (even organic) contains the A1 protein which causes digestive discomfort for many people. Unlike most chemically processed milk alternatives, a2 Milk® is a natural replacement to conventional milk. 

Feeling determined to make something sweet and frozen, I started thinking about what could be used to give a rich, creamy texture to frozen milk. 

An ice cream parlor in our neighborhood serves a frozen custard that is really spectacular, so I decided to try out a custard recipe. You guys, it turned out amaaazing. I wouldn't call it health food, but it is hard to believe quite how good it is considering it has no heavy cream in it. This is no consolation recipe. This is a dessert superstar in its own right.

Now, you can probably tell that the custard isn't strawberry pink, but more of a "strawberries 'n' cream" mix. I tried it a few different ways and I found this to be the winning mix. Sweet bits of fresh strawberries poking out of a mountain of decadent vanilla. Ah, so good.

I should note that the ice cream maker we used is a Zoku, which means we mixed each serving by hand. If you choose to use an electric ice cream maker, you may need to omit the coursely chopped strawberries or stir them in at the end. Check the manual for your machine to be sure.

Strawberry Frozen Custard (made with a2 Milk®)

Ingredients (for four 1/2 cup servings)

• 2 cups a2 Milk®
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Hull the strawberries and chop 1/3 of them coursely and puree or mince the remaining 2/3 (I should note that once again, I did this by hand though you can totally use a food processor if it makes your life easier!) and transfer all to a small bowl.
2. Stir in 1 Tbsp of sugar and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes. 
3. Pour the a2 Milk® into a medium saucepan and heat on medium heat until simmering.
4. While milk is heating, put egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until frothy. 
5. Add sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract to the bowl of egg yolks and whisk until mixture is thick and light yellow.
6. When milk is simmering, slowly pour egg yolk mixture into the saucepan, whisking continuously.
7. Turn heat to low and stir mixture for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened enough to coat a spoon.
8. Transfer to a bowl and cool thoroughly in refrigerator. 
9. Once cool, mix in strawberries and transfer mixture to ice cream maker.
10. Freeze mixture according to manufacturer's instructions.
11. Enjoy as soft-serve or transfer to a container and place in the freezer to harden.

If you'd like to try a2 Milk® for yourself, grab this a2 Milk® $1 Off Coupon and check the Product Locator to see which grocery stores near you are carrying it. 

For more information on the a2 Milk Company™ as well as other delicious recipes, check them out on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.