Creamy Strawberry Ice Cream with White Chocolate and a Hint of Basil

In a medium-sized pot with a thick bottom, place 250 ml of milk, 250 ml of heavy cream (half of the total), and half of the sugar (75 g). If using, add washed fresh basil leaves. Heat over medium power, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the liquid is very hot, with steam rising from the surface. Do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, place the egg yolks and the remaining 75 g of sugar. Using a hand whisk or mixer on medium speed, beat the ingredients for about 2-3 minutes. The mixture should become noticeably lighter, thick, and fluffy. When you lift the whisk, the mixture should fall in a thick, flowing ribbon that stays on the surface for a moment.

Now comes the key moment - tempering the yolks. Without stopping the beating of the egg mixture (preferably on low speed with a mixer or vigorously with a whisk), very slowly, in a thin stream, pour in the hot milk and cream mixture. Pour in about half of the liquid. This process gradually raises the temperature of the yolks, preventing them from curdling into scrambled eggs.

After pouring out about half of the hot liquid, pour the entire contents of the bowl with the egg yolks back into the pot with the remaining milk. Place the pot over low heat and warm it, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until the cream thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Check for readiness: dip a spoon in, remove it, and run your finger along the back. If a clean line remains, the cream is ready. Do not let it boil!

Immediately after removing from the heat, strain the finished cream through a fine sieve into a clean, cold bowl. The sieve will catch any lumps of scrambled egg and basil leaves. Add vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to the strained cream, and mix. To cool the base quickly, you can place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water. Cover the surface of the cream with plastic wrap (so that it touches the cream) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Wash the strawberries, remove the stems, and cut them into smaller pieces. Place them in a blender or use an immersion blender. Add lemon juice and blend until perfectly smooth. For a creamy ice cream texture, strain the puree through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Set the puree aside in the refrigerator.

Chop the white chocolate into small pieces. Melt it in a water bath: place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Stir until the chocolate is smooth. You can also melt it in the microwave, heating in 20-second intervals and stirring each time. Set aside to cool slightly - it should be liquid but not hot.

In a large bowl, place the remaining 250 ml of VERY COLD heavy cream. Use a mixer and whip it on medium-high speed until soft, but stable peaks form (known as 'soft peaks'). When you lift the beaters, the tip of the cream should bend slightly. Be careful not to overwhip it into butter.

Remove the completely chilled ice cream base from the refrigerator. Add the chilled strawberry puree and gently mix with a spatula to combine. Then, in two or three batches, add this mixture to the whipped cream. Mix very gently, using a folding motion from the bottom to the top, just until the ingredients are combined. The goal is to retain as much air as possible from the whipped cream.

Pour the cooled white chocolate into the prepared ice cream mixture in a thin stream. Then, using a spatula or knife, make a few (2-3) gentle movements to create visible chocolate swirls in the mixture. Do not mix too vigorously so that the chocolate does not completely blend with the mixture.

Pour the ice mixture into a container in which you will freeze it. Option 1 (with an ice cream maker): Pour the mixture into the frozen container of the machine and churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer's instructions, usually for 20-30 minutes, until it thickens. Option 2 (without a machine): Pour the mixture into a flat, freezer-safe container (e.g., a loaf pan). Place it in the freezer. For the first 3 hours, every 30-40 minutes, take the container out and vigorously stir the mixture with a fork or whisk, breaking up the ice crystals that form.

After finishing churning in the machine or after the last manual mixing, transfer the ice cream to the final container with a lid. Smooth the surface. Cover tightly and place in the freezer for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight, for the ice cream to fully set and achieve the perfect consistency.