Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Thursday, I went to check out the new mid-week farmer's market in Baton Rouge.  I love the Saturday market but don't always have time to go, so I was excited when I found out they would be open in a closer location on Thursday mornings.

I bought the most gorgeous coral/peach snapdragons (these were my mom's favorite colors and they reminded me of her, so I had to buy them!), a pint of blackberries, and 3 pints of strawberries.  

What was I going to do with all those strawberries?  Make ice cream of course!  I wanted to try and keep it light so I decided to use low-fat buttermilk as the base.  I've made peach buttermilk ice cream before and it was delicious...I knew this would be too!  Low-fat buttermilk is nutritionally similar to 1% milk (110 cals, 2.5 g fat), but it's creamy and tangy and makes this ice cream almost have a cheesecake-like flavor.

I don't have a pic for you, however.  Somebody put the ice cream in the fridge after she fixed some and it completely melted!  I refroze it but didn't have good results.  Oh well, I guess I'll just have to make it again!  

Whenever I have ice cream I serve it in a really small dish (such as a small ramekin or coffee cup), so that the ½-cup serving (okay, sometimes I have more!) doesn't seem so small.  Portion control is key, and using smaller plates/bowls/cups/etc. can help.  

Give it a try...perfect for summer!

Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

recipe by me

Makes 11 ½-cup servings

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 tablespoon sugar

3 cups low-fat buttermilk

½ cup sweetened condensed milk*

1 teaspoon vanilla

zest of 1 lemon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine sliced berries and sugar in a small bowl and let sit, stirring occasionally until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the fruit is juicy.

Meanwhile, whisk buttermilk and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.  Pour into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. During the last 5 minutes of freezing, add the sliced berries. If necessary, place the ice cream in the freezer to firm up before serving.

Per ½-cup serving - 86 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated), 14 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein (exchanges:  ½ dairy, ½ starch)

*Notes - Sweetened condensed milk comes in 3 varieties original, low-fat, and fat-free; I used the original...I think a little fat balances out the sugar.  But just so you know, per 2 tablespoons:

Original - 130 calories, 3.0g of fat, 23g sugar

Low-fat - 120 calories, 1.5g of fat, 24 g sugar

Fat-free - 110 calories, 0 g fat, 24 g sugar

Make sure you use well-chilled milks...I put mine in the freezer for about 20 minutes.  If the mixture isn't cold enough, it won't freeze well in the ice cream maker.