Strawberry Ice Cream in Vintage Ruby Dishes

Danny spotted these Hocking Ruby glass dishes at Goodwill, and remembered me mentioning (ages ago) that I like ruby glass.
"Are these what you like?" he asked, holding one up.
They were indeed what I like. Years ago, I had a large set, complete with plates, and I sold them thinking I'd never use them. Twenty years later, and with a family I regretted that decision. We bought the entire set, which also included several ruby vases by hocking, flashware, and one Pierpoint glass vase that I also owned at one time. For a moment, I considered this could have been my collection-except that I don't like flashware. Anyway, I was happy to purchase them for .89 cents each (let's hear it for the teacher's discount at Goodwill!) and I knew they had to be used for strawberry ice cream.

My strawberry ice cream is sieved so that there are no seeds, but you also lose out on the icy chunks of strawberry. We prefer it this way, but you could also chop a few berries to fold in at the end if you like. I do not use a custard base (typically) but you could do so for a richer version).

You Will Need:

2 cups heavy cream (or use 1 cup milk, and 1 cup cream, or 1/2&1/2. Your call. I can't vouch for substitutes, but I can't see why they wouldn't work.)
1 quart strawberries, washed, hulled, and chopped
1/2-3/4 cup granulated sugar (I use a scant 1/2 cup-and that's more than enough, but if the berries are really tart, you should increase it)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-2 drops red or pink food colouring (optional)
Cover the berries with the sugar in a bowl and let stand about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Put the berries, and juice through a food processor, or blender until very smooth. Force through a fine mesh sieve. Discard pulp and seeds. Stir in cream or milk, and lemon juice. Add food colouring if using. Pour into a metal tray (I use a 9 inch cake tin) and place in freezer. Every 20 minutes, stir with a fork to break up the ice crystals. When you can no longer stir it easily with a fork, transfer it either back to the food processor, or a deep bowl with a hand mixer. Beat until smooth again. Return to the freezer for one more 20 minutes rest, then spoon into a container, and freeze several hours before serving so ice cream can set.

Strawberry topping:

Slice berries, macerate with a bit of sugar at room temperature for an hour before serving. The juices make a nice sauce with very little fuss.