When I make horchata I use a regular blender and it works out well. After soaking the rice it is pretty soft and blends easily. It helps to not put too much liquid in the blender— just enough for the solids to blend— and to let each batch blend for a while. I pass through a very fine cheese cloth or nut milk bag. You gotta push it through, too.
Well, I gave a bunch to my friend for his family. He loved it! I had a bite of his and didn’t care for it, gritty texture and not sweet enough. Since he thought it was perfect, they won’t go to waste. I’ll give the rest to him.
Did Bravetart’s Devil’s Food Chocolate ice cream today. It is amazing. My friend who requested it will be very happy. Tomorrow I’m doing David Lebovitz’s Toasted Coconut ice cream from The Perfect Scoop. That was the fan favorite of the 5 kinds I made last year for my niece’s birthday party.
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By any chance does anyone have a copy of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Ice Cream Bliss”? I own two copies (!) but am on vacation without them, and picked $40 worth of black raspberries today, so I want to use her black raspberry recipe.
I do own it (in ebook form). If you belong to a public library that subscribes to Hoopla, it’s on their app as an on-demand ebook and you can access it directly. Otherwise, DM me.
Thanks! I drove all the way home and picked up my book 
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Last year our strawberry harvest was abysmal, and I didn’t get the opportunity to complete my own ice cream challenge – a throw down between David Lebovitz’s Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream and Serious Eats Strawberry Ice Cream. This year, we have more berries than we know what to do with, and I was able to make both. Top of the photo is the SE recipe, and the bottom one is DL.
I should mention the DL recipe has been my go-to for strawberry ice cream for years, and ranks as one of my top three favorite frozen treat recipes ever. Therefore, it is tough competition for the very popular SE version, which I had not tried prior to today.
In both instances I used garden strawberries picked at the peak of ripeness.
Modifications included:
DL recipe: added a pinch of salt and 2 T. vodka.
SE recipe: used 1 c. heavy cream and one c. whole milk (in lieu of 2 c. half-and-half). Cointreau for the alcohol. Reduced the salt to ¼ t., as I use Morton’s, and I believe SE uses Diamond Crystal.
The DL recipe had 48 hours in the freezer to cure, and the SE recipe a mere 4 hours.
Having tried them, I’m at a loss to call a champ. Neither could DH, describing it as “apples and oranges”.
The SE version is delicious - sweet, smooth, creamy with a bit of chew. Of the two, it is the one most similar in flavor and texture to a commercial strawberry ice cream.
The DL version is a thing unto its own, however, and should be enjoyed as such. Tangy, refreshing, and bursting with true strawberry flavor.
I’d take either (or both) any day of the week.
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LIVING for this ice cream throwdown! I literally just put a freshly-churned batch of strawberry into the freezer this minute myself 
Now you have TWO KINDS of strawberry ice cream in your freezer. HEAVEN.
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Sorry I didn’t see your post until it was too late (I’m on the opposite coast), but now you’ve got all the ice cream recipes at hand. I haven’t actually used the book (I despair of ever making space for the bowl in my small freezer thanks to Other People). How do you like it?
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I love it, but I’ve only made a handful of recipes from it. I’m a little bit of a compulsive repeater of a small selection of ice cream flavors, I’m afraid. But her black raspberry method (same method for all berries) is really spectacular; the black raspberry ice cream I made using this method is reliably a bucket-list-level culinary experience for me.
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You’re very lucky to have access to black raspberries! What other recipes are you using from it?
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I made this DL ice cream over the weekend! 2 hours in the freezer wasn’t enough to cure (it was still a little soft) but it’s now been 48ish so I’ll try again. My blender was a little too powerful so next time (and there will be a next time) I will reserve some of the strawberries to stir in before chilling and churning.
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Will be looking for your review.
I agree with you on holding back a bit to get a few chunky bits in there.
We had some after 2 hours and it wasn’t frozen uniformly. Today (48 hours later) it was almost too frozen. But taste was excellent! Nice and tart and creamy. I threw a handful of dark chocolate chips in my bowl today… mmmm….
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Making and freezing the reduced and sweetened black raspberry purée called for in RLB’s black raspberry ice cream recipe. I’ve got four recipes worth in the freezer. First batch tonight!
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Your ice cream sounds wonderful.
I love black raspberries, but I rarely find them at the local farmers’ markets (Los Angeles, CA).
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After reading your original post about the book (where you drove back to get your copy), I was convinced to get a copy. Sitting on my patio reading it now. 
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In the middle of making the base for Bravetart’s cherry ice cream. It isn’t difficult but it is labor-intensive. After pitting the roasted cherries the kitchen looked like a crime scene. I hope that it tastes good after all of this effort.
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Did you roast cherries in oven or on grill?
In the oven. I live in a 3rd floor apartment. I miss having a grill.
