Balsamic Black Pepper Ice Cream with Strawberries

I missed this. I missed this little golden tub of perfect vanilla ice cream -- that can only be found in Texas. Well, I'm exaggerating, you can find it across most of the South East, but it was born & bread in Texas. I'm finally back in the land of Blue Bell. The land of Lone Star. The land of hot sun, cold springs, dusty roads, & big skies. I'm back in Texas. Finally.

Settling in, back into a routine, took a while. Longer than I expected. But I'm finally comfortable again. Comfortable in our sunny house. Our new home. Our first home. I'm gradually reacquainting myself with the kitchen as well. We hosted our first dinner party, of sorts, the other evening & I decided a dressed-up carton of that golden ice cream would be a fitting dessert. It was perfect, even if I we got lost in our wine & forgot to serve it. It was just as good the next morning for breakfast.

Balsamic Black Pepper Ice Cream, yields 1 pint

adapted from Nancy Silverton's A Twist of the Wrist

1 pint vanilla ice cream (best you can find)

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, plus more for serving

1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

1 dzn. strawberries, quartered

1/2 c. sugar

Let the ice cream thaw for 5 - 10 minutes. Empty the carton into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Reserve the carton. Set it on a slow speed & slowly drizzle the balsamic vinegar in. Add the pepper. Continue mixing until well combined, about 5 minutes. Pour the contents back into the carton & re-freeze, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the quartered strawberries in a bowl with the sugar. Let sit until the sugar dissolves, about 20 minutes, and the strawberries slightly soften.

Garnish the ice cream with strawberries and a slight drizzle of balsamic vinegar.