In “America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams: A Salt & Straw Cookbook,” Salt & Straw shares the scoop on the recipes behind foundational base flavors, beloved cult classics and the wildly innovative flavors that made the artisanal ice creamery famous. Written by New York Times best-selling author JJ Goode and S&S co-founder Tyler Malek the ultimate guide to all things ice cream includes super simple base recipes for the mild at heart, as well as 75+ zany riff-off recipes for the wild at heart.

Malek—who previously shared his Grandma’s Famous Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache Ice Cream with PHG—once again taught us how to make one of his favorite flavors, strawberry tres leches ice cream.

“Strawberry season is one of the best, but the strawberry’s delicate-yet-decadent flavor is often outshined by a luscious ice cream base,” says Malek. “This strawberry tres leches ice cream is one of my favorites because we roast the strawberries to intensify their flavor, then combine them with a classic tres leches cake that stays light and fluffy—even when frozen.”

Salt & Straw’s Strawberry Tres Leches Ice Cream Recipe

For the 17% Butterfat Base

Ingredients:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
• ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 & ¾ cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 & ⅓ cups cold heavy cream

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, milk powder, and xanthan gum.

In a medium pot, stir together the whole milk and corn syrup. Add the sugar mixture and
immediately whisk vigorously until smooth. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring
often and reducing the heat if necessary to prevent a simmer, just until the sugar has fully
dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cold cream and stir until
fully combined.

Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 6 hours, or
for even better texture and flavor, 24 hours. Stir well before using.

The base can be further stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw completely and stir well before using.

For the Vanilla Tres Leches Cake

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup whole milk
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9 × 9-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray it with
cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, combine the butter and milk and set over low heat until the butter is
completely melted. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the sugar and egg on medium speed until lighter in color and slightly frothy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk-butter mixture and vanilla and continue mixing until combined (one minute).

Turn off the stand mixer, add about half of the flour mixture, then mix on medium speed until ingredients are just combined.

Turn off the stand mixer, add the remaining flour mixture, then mix on medium speed until the ingredients are just combined (a few small lumps are just fine).

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread it out to make an even layer. Bake until
the top looks shiny and a table knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30
minutes, rotating the pan front to back halfway through. Let it cool completely, about one hour.

Cake Soak Ingredients:

• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 1 tablespoon coconut rum (I love Coconut Cartel Special)
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, rum, vanilla extract and ground cinnamon, stir until smooth. Use a fork to poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Drizzle the condensed milk mixture evenly over the cake. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

For the Strawberry Tres Leches Ice Cream

Yield: 4 pints

Ingredients:

• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
• ½ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• ¹⁄8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 3 cups 17% Butterfat Base
• ¹⁄8 teaspoon malic acid, or 2 teaspoons lime juice
• One 3-inch square Vanilla Tres Leches Cake, thoroughly smooshed
• ¾ cup your favorite strawberry jam

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. On the lined sheet pan, toss the strawberries with the brown sugar and salt and spread them in an even layer.

Roast until the strawberries release their juice and begin to caramelize around the edges of the
sheet pan, about 20 minutes. Transfer it all (every last bit!) to a bowl or container and
refrigerate until well chilled.

In a medium bowl, combine the strawberry mixture and ice cream base and use a stick blender
(or transfer to a stand blender) to blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, add the malic acid, and turn on the machine. Churn
just until the ice cream has the texture of soft serve, 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the
machine.

Quickly alternate spooning layers of the ice cream, tablespoon-size dollops of the cake, and scant tablespoons of the jam into freezer-safe containers.

Freeze until firm—at least 6 hours. Store ice cream for up to 3 months.

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Buy “Salt & Straw: America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams” at saltandstraw.com.

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