July went by so fast.
I used to have one of those pretty calendars from Paper Source and religiously record what I did every day. Now Mr.186 and I share an iCal calendar, which is so much easier to use for record appointments or meetings, but I start to lose track of what I did fun every day.
People always say summertime in Seattle is the best time of the year. I won’t disagree. The weather is not too hot. The long-awaited sunshine finally sticks around, almost every day. It’s dangerously perfect – as all I want to do now is laying under the sun, read more books, and maybe a nap in between. Work? What is work?
Luckily, I am a Virgo. After several lazy summer days, I kicked myself’s ass and back to life. The first recipe I made is Strawberry Shaved Ice. Mr.186 got me a Shaved Ice Machine couple months back. We were rewatching Chibi Maruko-Chan, a Japanese cartoon we both grew up with. I said I always wanted a shaved ice machine like the one in the cartoon. The next thing I know, I got one more appliance in my already crowded kitchen cabinet, but I won’t complain.
Mr.186 ordered it from Japan and it looks exactly the same as in the cartoon. So cool! I originally wanted to make a traditional Japanese red bean shaved ice, but then I bought a huge box of beautifully red strawberries from the farmer’s market. It would be a crime not using these strawberries. I boiled the strawberries with sugar as a whole, so not only I have syrup, but also poached strawberries. Then I topped the shaved ice with condensed milk & vanilla ice cream. Heaven.
If you don’t have a shaved ice machine, you can totally use a blender or a food processor to make shaved ice! Just blend ice cubes until they are snow-like. Or, if you feel extra extra fancy, you can make Granita Di Mandorle – Italian shaved ice from Caffè Sicilia.
I really want you to try this Strawberry Shaved Ice, because it’s:
Sweet,
Refreshing,
Creamy from condensed milk & vanilla ice cream,
Soft from poached whole strawberries,
Crunchy from fresh sliced strawberries,
Summer in a cup
Share this post and tag #herbakinglab on Instagram if you make this Strawberry Shaved Ice! It truly is the perfect summer treat and I cannot be more grateful for living in Seattle this time of the year. Until next time, eat more shaved ice and ice-cream before summer ends! 🍦
Strawberry Shaved Ice
Yield: 1 generous serving of shaved ice; Strawberry syrup can be used 4-5 times
Author: HerBakingLab
Ingredients:
1. 1 box (1 lb) strawberry
2. 1/2 cup (170g, 6oz) granulated sugar
3. 2 tbsp lemon juice
4. 1-2 tbsp condensed milk
5. 1 big scoop of vanilla ice-cream (find my recipe here!)
PROCEDURE:
1. Rinse and hull the strawberries. Cut them in half. Combine strawberries with sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Leave at room for 30 minutes, or until strawberries begin to soften and produce some juice in the pan.
2. Bring strawberries to a boil and reduce to a medium simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes. Stir as little as possible to avoid broking the poached strawberries.
3. Strain the strawberry liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a clean container. Be gentle. Reserve the poached strawberries into another container.
4. Make a cup of shaved ice following your shaved ice machine’s manufacturer’s instructions. Alternatively, place process 3 cups of ice cubes in a blender or food processor, until cubes stop clattering and look like snow, with no lumps.
5. To assemble, place 5-6 poached strawberries at the bottom of your cup, then shaved ice. Pouring strawberry syrup and condensed milk over the shaved ice. Finish with some fresh strawberries and a big scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Enjoy!
