Grilled Strawberry & Balsamic Ice Cream

Directions

1. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until just combined.
2. In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, salt, and remaining sugar over medium-high heat. Just before the mixture begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
3. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture and gradually add to the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Do this again with another 1/2 cup of hot cream mixture.
4. Stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, gradually add the yolk mixture to the hot cream mixture in the saucepan.
5. Stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture coats the back of the spatula.
6. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Set the bowl into an ice water bath, stirring the mixture occasionally until cool.
7. Remove from the ice water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
8. Prepare the grill. Sorry gas grillers, but this recipe works much better with charcoal. The point at which you want to grill the strawberries is when there are no longer any flames and the coals are just embers.
9. Remove the stems from the strawberries and toss with the salt. Place directly onto the grill and cook for an hour. The bottoms should be blackened.
10. Remove strawberries to a bowl, add the balsamic vinegar, and stir vigorously to break the strawberries apart. Cool to room temperature. I prefer chunks of strawberry in my ice cream, but if you prefer a smoother consistency feel free to blend them until smooth.
11. Combine the ice cream base with the strawberry mixture and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.