Strawberries In Spiced Wine With Olive Oil Flavored Ice Cream Food

GRILLED STRAWBERRIES ALA MODE

Steps:

• Preheat grill to high. Prepare mock ice cream as directed. In a bowl, coat strawberries with the balsamic vinegar and sugar substitute. Place strawberries on the hot grill to mark, only about 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve a couple grilled berries in the Champagne glass with the "mock" vanilla ice cream. Cook's Note: Garnish with low carb whipped cream, toasted almonds, a strawberry fan, and a sprig of fresh mint, if desired.
• With an electric mixer on high, whip the heavy cream in a bowl just until frothy. Add in the sugar substitute, vanilla, and ricotta cheese, and continue to whip on high until peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip, or cream will break. Using a 3-ounce ice cream scoop, place one scoop in each Champagne glass. Freeze to make "faux" ice cream, or serve refrigerated as a parfait.

FLAVORED ICE

Steps:

• Spice up a drink with one of these tasty, colorful cubes.
• Tomato
• Cool down a Bloody Mary with tomato juice ice cubes. Add horseradish for extra kick.
• Herbs
• Preserve fresh herbs in ice. Plop mint cubes into a mojito or parsley into lemonade.
• Lemon-Honey
• Add lemon juice and honey to water before freezing, then serve in iced tea.
• Cola
• Chill a dark spirit like rum or bourbon with a cube of frozen cola.
• Cranberry
• Give a tart twist to sparkling water or fruit juice with frozen cranberry juice.
• Coffee
• Freeze strong coffee to keep iced coffee cool without watering it down.
• Olive
• Drop a cube of frozen olive brine into a dry martini to make it "dirty."

STRAWBERRY HONEY BALSAMIC WITH BLACK PEPPER ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Strawberry puree:
• Spread the strawberries out evenly on the lined sheet pan and drizzle them with the honey. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir the berries and continue baking until they just barely begin to caramelize and get a little bit of roasted color to them, about 20 minutes more. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let them sit until they're cool enough to handle. Transfer the berries to a blender along with the yummy sticky stuff on the parchment paper and puree to make a smooth sauce. Chill in the fridge until cold.
• Store the puree in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Ice cream base:
• Combine the sugar, dry milk, and xanthan gum in a small bowl and stir well.
• Pour the corn syrup into a medium pot and stir in the whole milk. Add the sugar mixture and immediately whisk vigorously until smooth. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat if necessary to prevent a simmer, until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
• Add the cream and whisk until fully combined. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 6 hours, or for even better texture and flavor, 24 hours. Stir the base back together if it separates during the resting time. The base can be further stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Just be sure to fully thaw the frozen base before using it.)
• Ice cream:
• In a bowl, combine the strawberry puree, vinegar, and black pepper with the ice cream base. Whisk as needed to get everything completely incorporated into the base. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and turn on the machine. Churn just until it has the texture of soft-serve.
• Stir the jam with a fork to loosen it. Quickly alternate spooning layers of the mixture and dollops of the jam in freezer-friendly containers.
• Cover with parchment paper, pressing it to the surface of the ice cream so it adheres, then cover with a lid. It's okay if the parchment hangs over the rim. Store it in the coldest part of your freezer (farthest from the door) until firm, at least 6 hours. It will keep for up to 3 months.

STRAWBERRIES IN SPICED WINE WITH OLIVE OIL-FLAVORED ICE CREAM

Steps:

• The day before serving, candy the olives. Cut them into quarters and blanch them in a small pan of boiling water, repeating the process 2 or 3 times to de-salt them; drain. In the same pan, make a syrup of the powdered sugar and water. Add the olives, bring to a boil, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let olives soak 24 hours.
• Several hours before serving, make the ice cream. Heat the milk with the cream and split vanilla pod.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together to obtain a frothy consistency. To yolks, gradually add the hot milk and cream, beating constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook over very low heat, continuing to stir until the mixture coats the spoon. Stir in the olive oil and let cool. Place in the freezer until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• At least 1 hour before serving, prepare the strawberries and the syrup. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, red wine, orange zest, the halved vanilla pod, the cinnamon stick, and saffron. Bring to a boil, then pour the strawberries into the mixture.
• Bring mixture to a second boil and allow to boil briskly for 5 minutes, then let the mixture cool briefly. With a slotted spoon, remove the strawberries to a bowl. Continue boiling syrup over medium heat until it is thickened and reduced. Add the strawberries to this syrup and let cool 1 hour or more, to room temperature.
• Presentation: Into 4 well-chilled soup plates, serve the strawberry mixture in its syrup. On the side put 1 or 2 dollops of olive oil-flavored ice cream. Garnish by poking into each serving a fresh mint leaf (or a tiny sprig of olive leaves if available), a small section of vanilla bean pod, and a small piece of cinnamon stick. Sprinkle candied olives on top and serve.