I was able to pick just enough wild strawberries in our field to make one recipe – a recipe where these tiny fruits would stand on their own and not get lost with a lot of other ingredients. So marinating them in balsamic vinegar and serving it with olive oil ice cream seemed the only option. I hope the guests at Angie’s Fiesta Friday #22 approve.
I have never made olive oil ice cream before, but it sounded intriguing to me. There are lots of recipes on line, and I have read most of them. Finally, I made a fairly standard custard and added some olive oil. I expect any standard ice cream recipe would work, but best if you use a little less sugar than normal. If you don’t have wild strawberries, then use regular ones.
As for the olive oil, I noted that you should use a good quality fruity oil and not a peppery one. Some recipes called for oil infused with lemon, but I had not time for that. I just used my Costco brand organic extra virgin olive oil which worked fine. If you have a really special fruity olive oil, by all means use that.
Olive Oil Ice Cream with Balsamic Wild Strawberries
For the ice cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp olive oil
Heat the cream and milk until almost boiling. Pour a little at a time, continuing to mix while pouring, into the egg yolks beaten with sugar. Return it all to the pan and cook on medium heat until it coats the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Be careful not to overcook it. Remove from the heat, allow to cool a little, then add the olive oil and mix in thoroughly. Chill in the fridge, and then freeze in an ice cream machine according to instructions.
For the strawberry sauce
1 cup wild strawberries
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sprinkle sugar on the strawberries and allow to stand until the sugar dissolves and a syrup forms. This can take a few hours, but stirring it occasionally helps it along. Just before serving, add the balsamic vinegar.
I served it before it really had a chance to freeze properly, but it was delicious nonetheless.
June 27, 2014 at 2:32 pm
Wild strawberries are some of the most beautiful and delicate fruits I know of. Their taste is a little different, but I happen to like the taste. I am somewhat jealous! I will take 2 portions please!
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June 27, 2014 at 3:19 pm
Thank you Sue. You are most welcome to as much as you like. I hope to pick more and preserve them.
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June 27, 2014 at 3:59 pm
How lovely. I’ve never heard of olive oil in ice cream but I imagine it tastes beautifully creamy.
I remember always picking wild strawberries when I was young. There was a ravine behind my house where I spent hours foraging for things -fiddleheads, wild strawberries, pine cones, flowers, puffballs, wild apples. I don’t think the strawberries ever made it home!
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June 27, 2014 at 5:04 pm
Mine rarely make it home either. Making a recipe for Fiesta Friday was a good incentive to save some. The olive oil ice cream seems quite common in olive oil countries, so there are lots of recipes for it. I found it surprisingly good – creamy as you say but with a slightly nutty taste.
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June 27, 2014 at 4:20 pm
This looks so yummy! 🙂
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June 27, 2014 at 5:06 pm
Thanks Arl. It is yummy but wish I had more.
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June 27, 2014 at 4:24 pm
this looks lovely Hilda…..fresh strawberry sauce with icecream hmm droooooooooling….
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June 27, 2014 at 5:05 pm
Thanks Chitra. Either part of the recipe is good on its own – but together is a winning combination I think.
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June 27, 2014 at 9:43 pm
Oh wow Hilda…this is wonderful…. Welcome to Fiesta Friday!! I’m so in awe by the most creative dishes you bring to the table….and this one is right up there. Olive oil ice cream….I’m totally game, and now I want to research it just to see what it’s all about! Awesome, awesome post! Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us! ❤
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June 27, 2014 at 9:44 pm
Thanks so much. I’m glad you found the idea as interesting as I did. I just had to try it and not sorry I did.
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June 28, 2014 at 12:42 am
How interesting, when one hears olive oil and balsamic in the same sentence, one thinks of a salad. With this recipe, you took me out of a box, and introduced me to this wonderful dessert!
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June 28, 2014 at 12:48 am
Thanks Fae. Like so many things, when you think you have a totally original idea you find it really isn’t all that original. Olive oil ice cream is quite common in countries like Spain and Italy, and of course balsamic strawberries have been added, but at least my recipe was original. I will work on the ice cream part some more because it really is delicious.
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June 28, 2014 at 1:11 am
This recipe is very intriguing and interesting :).
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June 28, 2014 at 1:46 am
I know it sounds unusual, but the combination is really delicious.
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June 28, 2014 at 2:48 am
What an intriguing recipe Hilda! Love the creativity!
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June 28, 2014 at 2:49 am
Lovely strawberries! And nice flavor association:)
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June 28, 2014 at 3:51 am
Thanks Catherine. I don’t usually bother with wild strawberries as they are so tiny, but just couldn’t resist making at least one recipe with them. I’m sure regular strawberries would be good too.
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June 28, 2014 at 3:48 am
Hilda, It looks very appetizing and I like the addition of balsamic vinegar into the strawberry sauce !
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June 28, 2014 at 3:50 am
Thanks Linda.
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June 28, 2014 at 7:33 am
Wow, Hilda! You always surprise me with your wonderful, creative recipes! Fabulous that you have olive oil and balsamic in a dessert! Just so wonderful with the wild strawberries!
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June 28, 2014 at 1:15 pm
ooh I love the sound of this. I’ve never had wild strawberries before but I love regular strawberries with balsamic so I’m sure I’d love this too
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June 28, 2014 at 10:28 pm
We occasionally had wild strawberries in our yard when I was little. What a thrill it was to find them! If the apocalypse hits, I’m coming to live with you (just warning you now). I’m amazed at what you whip up from wild edibles.
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June 29, 2014 at 10:01 pm
Thanks so much. Let’s hope it never comes to that, but you are welcome to share my stash if it should.
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June 30, 2014 at 4:36 am
Thanks 🙂
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June 29, 2014 at 7:19 am
Wow, wild strawberry! You always bring something interesting and wonderful from your garden! I’d never had olive oil ice-cream, but sounds like good combination with balsamic + strawberry.
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June 29, 2014 at 12:54 pm
So unique! Sounds yummy.
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June 29, 2014 at 1:07 pm
Hilda this recipe is stunning! I’ve never heard about olive oil ice-cream so far! I bet the flavour had to be very intense…
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June 29, 2014 at 10:00 pm
Not as intense as I thought it would be. Actually, just a little nutty and very creamy for some reason. I will try other recipes with it, and other flavours just to see how far I can take it. It does seem to be very popular in Italy and Spain, so you know it can’t be bad.
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June 29, 2014 at 1:18 pm
I am not sure if I have eaten an ice cream with olive oil, but this sounds good to me especially with the wild strawberries. 🙂
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June 29, 2014 at 1:51 pm
I love the farm-to-table concept . You are blessed to have access to such fresh food. I am envious of you. The jam looks delicious!
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June 29, 2014 at 9:57 pm
Thanks Suchitra. It is wonderful to have plants right at your doorstep, so I try and make good use of them. But I also want to make recipes that other people can use, even if they don’t have the same things available as I do – so in this recipe, strawberries would work too.
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June 30, 2014 at 2:32 am
This looks great, Hilda. Those strawberries are something else. I wish I had a bowlful right about now. 🙂
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June 30, 2014 at 5:51 am
Olive oil icecream, how exciting! I can imagine that it goes very well with the fruit & balsamic mixture (a combination that I love, it’s great with raspberries, too). Thanks for the inspiration, Hilda!
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