Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper Ice Cream

Strawberry Honey Balsamic Ice Cream

Here’s another of Portland’s Salt&Straw Ice Cream favorites!! You may raise your eyebrows and think to yourself… vinegar in ice cream!?! And black pepper… what?!!! Believe me! It’s delicious! It’s a long-standing favorite on the Salt&Straw menu that’s ALWAYS on the menu. This ice cream is filled with honey roasted strawberry flavor, both in the ice cream and the added honey strawberry jam swirl. The vinegar creates a little tang and the black pepper actually enhances the strawberry flavor perfectly!

As I told you for the past two weeks—don’t be intimidated by home-churned ice cream! If you have one of the new ice cream makers, where you don’t have to use ice and salt, it’s so very easy to make ice cream. It takes some chill time in the refrigerator, but the churning really only takes 10 minutes for soft serve ice cream. If you want it a little firmer—which I do, you freeze it for 4-6 hours. Technically you could start it in the morning and enjoy fresh churned, creamy ice cream in the flavor of your choice, while you watch a movie that night at home!

This recipe uses a dairy-free recipe for the ice cream base. It’s so creamy and so delicious that you can’t tell the difference from milk-based ice cream. You can read more details about this recipe development in my blog post: Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache. My dairy-free recipe is based on the milk-based recipe from Salt&Straw that is published in several places. I included it in the notes of my recipe, but here’s three places to find it, since it’s amazing and creamy and delicious:

Three places to find Salt&Straw Ice Cream Recipes:

https://saltandstraw.com/blogs/news/we-teamed-up-with-thrillist-to-level-up-your-homemade-ice-cream

https://recipes.oregonlive.com/recipes/ice-cream-base

The Salt&Straw Recipe Book is loaded with their amazing ice cream recipes and their story. It’s an incredible cookbook!

This post might contain affiliate links, please check out my full disclosure policy. I only refer products I have tried and tested.

Ingredients for the Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper Ice Cream:

Ice Cream Base:

• Granulated sugar
• Coconut milk powder: This didn’t add a coconut flavor to the base and helped create the same consistency as Salt&Straw’s milk base. I found it in the baking section of the grocery store. The following is the brand I used:

• Xanthan gum: This is Salt&Straw’s secret ingredient. It basically keeps your ice cream from forming ice crystals as easy! So, this is a must have ingredient for your home-churned ice cream. And even though it sounds like a hard ingredient to find… it’s at most grocery stores in the alternative flour section. And, of course, you can find it at Amazon.
• Light corn syrup: Use Karo brand and you don’t have to worry about high fructose corn syrup.
• Chobani creamy oat milk: This is the brand I used for my perfect results. Other oat milks could work just as effectively.
• Country Crock plant cream: This is the brand that really substituted perfectly for heavy cream. I couldn’t find any other brands that were non-dairy and resembled this product. I was impressed. I found this product right next to the heavy cream at the grocery store.

Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper Ice Cream:

• Honey balsamic vinegar: I find it easiest to buy this exact ingredient on Amazon. But O Olive Oil vinegars can be found at the grocery store. White Balsamic Vinegar is the closest match and tastes very close to the same thing.

• Strawberry Puree and Jam: This is specially made strawberries roasted in honey for about 40 minutes. Then pureed in the blender with all the roasted strawberries and especially sauce on the pan. Words cannot describe how amazing this tastes! I remove the amount needed for the ice cream base, then make the remaining amount into a Honey Strawberry Jam.
• Honey: Use your favorite brand.
• Cornaby’s E-Z Jell: This is the secret ingredient for making a quick jam out of the remaining honey strawberry puree. And this jam creates the swirl in the finished ice cream product.
• Black pepper: It is best if this ingredient is finely ground. And it only takes 1/8 of a teaspoon—basically a generous pinch.

How to Make Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper Ice Cream:

Timing trick: Make the ice cream base, the strawberry puree and jam the day before you want to eat your ice cream. Churn your ice cream the next morning—it only takes 10 minutes and 5 more minutes to fill your ice cream container with your strawberry honey balsamic soft-serve and swirled honey strawberry jam. Leave it in the freezer for 4-6 hours and you will have delicious home-churned ice cream for dessert!

Ice Cream Base:

1. Combine sugar, milk powder, and xanthan gum in small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
2. Add corn syrup and oat milk to medium pot. Stir. Then add sugar mixture and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth. Set the pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add cream. Whisk to combine.
3. Transfer to a container, like a quart jar, and refrigerate until very chilled, at least 6 hours, but best at 24 hours. Stir before adding to an ice cream maker. (Can be stored for 1 week or frozen for 3 months—but fully thaw before using it.)

Strawberry Puree and Jam:

1. Place halved strawberries on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 300° F for 40 minutes.
2. Transfer berries and all the sauce in the baking sheet to a blender. Puree until very smooth.
3. Reserve ¾ cup of strawberry puree for ice cream. Chill until very cold.
4. With remaining strawberry puree, add 3 Tablespoons EZ Gel and stir until set. Add an additional 1 Tablespoon EZ Gel if needed to resemble the consistency of jam. Chill until very cold.

Churn and Layer Ice Cream:

1. Remove ice cream base from fridge and stir. Then add strawberry puree, honey balsamic vinegar, and black pepper. Stir until incorporated. Add all to prepared ice cream maker. Churn until reaches soft serve stage.
2. Add some soft serve ice cream to the bottom of a freezer friendly container. Add dollop of chilled strawberry jam. Swirl slightly into the ice cream base with a butter knife. Add more ice cream to the container and repeat with dollops of strawberry jam. Swirl slightly. Continue to alternate with ice cream and strawberry jam until you top the container with the soft serve ice cream.
3. Cover with parchment paper or wax paper—pressing to the surface of the ice cream (can overlap the edges of the container). Cover with a lid and place in the coldest part of your freezer for at least 5-6 hours. Will keep for 3 months.

If you are going to home churn some ice cream, this recipe is a must try! Plus, the leftover Honey Strawberry Jam is delicious on toast, oatmeal, or in strawberry milk!

–Kim

Print Recipe

Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper Salt&Straw Ice Cream copycat

Strawberry Honey Balsamic is smooth and creamy fresh churned ice cream with honey roasted strawberries, plus a splash of honey balsamic vinegar and a pinch of black pepper amp up the strawberry flavor. Swirl in honey strawberry jam and you have created the BEST tangy sweet strawberry ice cream! It’s a mainstay menu item at Portland’s Salt&Straw. And we have included a non-dairy alternative recipe that’s as good as the real thing!

Prep Time1 hour hr

Chilling Time11 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Keyword: home-churn, honey, ice cream, strawberry

Servings: 2 pints

Author: Kim Melanson

Equipment

• Ice Cream Maker
• blender

Ingredients

Strawberry Honey Balsamic Ice Cream Recipe:

• 3 cups ice cream base—very cold (recipe follows)
• ¾ cup strawberry puree—very cold (recipe follows)
• ¼ cup honey balsamic vinegar (O Olive Oil brand recommended)
• ⅛ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• ¾ cup honey strawberry jam (recipe follows)

Non-dairy alternative ice cream base:

• (based on Salt&Straw’s milk base recipe—in notes)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons coconut milk powder
• ¼ teaspoon Xanthan gum (a must have ingredient)
• 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 ⅓ cups Chobani creamy oat milk
• 1 ⅓ cups Country Crock plant cream

Strawberry Puree and Jam

• 30 ounces (about 3 pints) ripe strawberries, hulled and halved
• ¾ cup honey

Instructions

Ice Cream Base:

• Combine sugar, milk powder, and xanthan gum in small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• Add corn syrup and oat milk to medium pot. Stir. Then add sugar mixture and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth.
• Set the pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add cream. Whisk to combine.
• Transfer to a container and refrigerate until very chilled, at least 6 hours, but best at 24 hours. Stir before adding to an ice cream maker. (Can be stored for 1 week or frozen for 3 months—but fully thaw before using it.)

Strawberry Puree and Jam:

• Place halved strawberries on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 300° F for 40 minutes.
• Transfer berries and all the sauce in the baking sheet to a blender. Puree until very smooth.
• Reserve ¾ cup of strawberry puree for ice cream. Chill until very cold.
• With remaining strawberry puree, add 3 Tablespoons EZ Gel and blend or stir until set. Add an additional 1 Tablespoon EZ Gel if needed to resemble the consistency of jam. Chill until very cold.

Churn and Create Ice Cream:

• Remove ice cream base from fridge and stir. Then add strawberry puree, honey balsamic vinegar, and black pepper. Stir until incorporated. Add all to prepared ice cream maker. Churn until reaches soft serve stage.
• Add some soft serve ice cream to the bottom of a freezer friendly container. Add dollop of chilled strawberry jam. Swirl slightly into the ice cream base with a butter knife. Add more ice cream to the container and repeat with dollops of strawberry jam. Swirl slightly. Continue to alternate with ice cream and strawberry jam until you top the container with the soft serve ice cream.
• Cover with parchment paper or wax paper—pressing to the surface of the ice cream (can overlap the edges of the container). Cover with a lid and place in the coldest part of your freezer for at least 5-6 hours. Will keep for 3 months.

Notes

Salt&Straw Ice Cream Base: ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons dry milk, ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum, 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup, 1 1/3 cups whole milk, 1 1/3 cups heavy cream. Use same instructions as for the alternative milk recipe.

Recipes Reprinted from: Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook. Copyright © 2019 by Salt & Straw, LLC. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.