The other day at the local market near my house, I found some strawberries on sale, really splendid, firm and very fragrant, and without thinking twice, I stocked up! However, once I got home, I thought I had made a mistake because it was obvious that since only my husband and I would consume them, it wouldn’t be easy, not even by making a nice fruit salad! I was out of ideas and it was clear there would be too many left, risking spoilage. So, after various hesitations, the idea of ice cream came to mind! However, I didn’t want to create the usual recipe as seen on the web, with a really poor fruit ratio, excessive amounts of cream, and lots of sugar, starting with condensed milk, an ingredient that can easily be omitted! I wanted something more delicate and genuine and, since there was some ricotta left over in my fridge from previous preparations, and also some Greek yogurt which is always my kitchen ace, the fridge-emptying ice cream was born, naturally without an ice cream maker, without eggs, and mixing everything in a bowl! My husband was ecstatic, then I chose to garnish it with chopped fresh strawberries and dark chocolate flakes, which I must say were wonderful! It will be perfect for those who want to enjoy a sweet break without too much guilt. It’s not a fit ice cream but comes very close, indeed next time, I will try to remove even the little cream I put, as it will make it even lighter and more digestible. Try it because it’s really easy, quick and you will make a great impression with all your guests, who will think it is store-bought ice cream!
Some other fresh ideas with the arrival of summer? Here are some of my preparations that you could try, zero hassle and guilt:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 16 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6-8 people
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients:
- 19 oz strawberries
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 8.8 oz Greek yogurt
- 3.5 oz sheep ricotta
- 4.6 oz powdered sugar
- to taste dark chocolate
- A few strawberries
Tools:
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while costing you nothing extra!
- 1 Brush
- Paper towels
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Hand blender
- 1 Basin
- Electric whisks
- 1 Mold
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Knife
- 1 Food processor
Steps:
Start by washing the strawberries well under running water, then pat them dry with kitchen paper towels.
Cut half of the strawberries into cubes, and the other half blend with a hand blender until you get a well-homogenized puree.
In a large bowl, preferably glass and well chilled from the fridge, pour the fresh cream, then also incorporate the yogurt and the ricotta previously drained of its whey.
Finally, add the sifted powdered sugar and start to mix with electric whisks at medium speed.
Blend for a few minutes until you get a nice thick cream.
Add the strawberry puree as well and mix with a spatula with very gentle motions from bottom to top to avoid deflating the mixture.
Complete with the strawberry cubes, always mixing gently.
Transfer into an aluminum mold suitable for the freezer and level it out*. Transfer to the freezer for about 1 hour. After the hour, take the ice cream out of the freezer and stir it to break up the ice crystals. Repeat the same operation every hour for 5 times.
Finally, cover with plastic wrap and place permanently in the freezer for at least another 5-6 hours. When serving, take out the mold, remove the plastic wrap, wait a few minutes, and with a knife, cut with great care the amount of ice cream you desire**. The rest should be immediately returned to the freezer.
Transfer into a food processor first with the blade accessory and pulse for a few seconds.
Once this consistency is reached, replace the blade with the mixer accessory provided, type spatula, and give a couple of quick pulses without overdoing it, otherwise, the ice cream will heat up too much and become liquid.
Serve in cups with a suitable ice cream scoop, garnishing with whatever you desire, in my case dark chocolate flakes and a few fresh strawberries as desired.
And there you have it…your strawberry, ricotta, and yogurt ice cream without an ice cream maker is ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 Strawberry, yogurt, and ricotta ice cream must be kept strictly in the freezer and in the least cold part of your freezer until consumption.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣 If you don’t want to use fresh whipping cream, you could opt for the already sweetened Holpa, adding at least 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar. I still advise tasting it to see if it will need a little more sugar or not. Alternatively, you can use envelope cream, available in supermarkets, like the Cameo. In any case, whatever type of cream you use, the total to add to the ice cream must always be 250 grams.
🟣* If you have some mixture left over, place the rest of the ice cream in ice pop molds or in a container with an airtight seal.
🟣** Thanks to the fat content, the ice cream will never freeze completely, but it might become a bit firmer, especially after a long time in the freezer. If you have guests and plan to consume it all, just take it out of the freezer 10-15′ before serving without having to put it in the processor. It will be sufficient to work it a little to regain the right consistency or, alternatively, leave it in the microwave for about 15”. Otherwise, better not to let the ice cream defrost completely to consume only a part of it, so the processor or a powerful blender will solve the problem.
