Among the many beautiful days we spent together, Saturday was a leisurely South Portland-Cape Elizabeth-beachy-lighthouse day.
While on the Cape, we decided to check out Maxwell’s Farm for strawberry picking. Although I could have continued hopping from row to row for the rest of the afternoon, with our tray overflowing and our clothes increasingly red-stained, we carried away thirteen pounds of these little gems. Without too much of a plan, between the three of us, we quickly processed them that night.
The thought of making preserves was scratched only for lack of preparation, sterilization of jars and such. Instead, eight quart-size bags full – some juicy halves, some whole – await us in the freezer. And then the ice cream: a raw milk strawberry basil.
This time, I stuck with Mark Bitman’s simple six-egg to three-cup liquid formula. Here, the strawberry puree accounted for one part and I used raw milk as that’s what I had on hand. Having just brought home a few more plants, including basil, from the farmers' market that morning, it seemed like a good idea to infuse the milk for a twist on the recipe. I only slightly miss the full-fat creaminess of using part heavy cream, but after a week of vacation-eating, I think it’s better this way.
This time, I stuck with Mark Bitman’s simple six-egg to three-cup liquid formula. Here, the strawberry puree accounted for one part and I used raw milk as that’s what I had on hand. Having just brought home a few more plants, including basil, from the farmers' market that morning, it seemed like a good idea to infuse the milk for a twist on the recipe. I only slightly miss the full-fat creaminess of using part heavy cream, but after a week of vacation-eating, I think it’s better this way.
