Rose-White Chocolate Ice Cream with Strawberry Swirl

For ice cream:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

6 oz. best quality white chocolate, chopped

2 cups whole milk

6 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

pinch salt

2 Tbsp. rose water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

For strawberry swirl:

8 oz. fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced in half, plus more for a garnish

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. rose water

Instructions:

For ice cream:

Place the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl.  Bring heavy cream just to a boil in a medium, 2-quart saucepan.  Pour over the white chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes.  Whisk well.

In the meantime, in the same pan, heat the milk until very hot, but not boiling.  In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and pinch of salt until thick and pale yellow.  Carefully drizzle a little of the hot milk into the egg/sugar mixture, whisking well.  Add the rest of the hot milk in a slow, steady stream while whisking.  Add to the white chocolate and cream.  Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook gently over medium heat until the temperature reaches 170 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer.  Immediately remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl.  Add the vanilla and rose water.  Let cool slightly and cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours or overnight.

While ice cream custard base is chilling, prepare the strawberry swirl.

For strawberry swirl:

Place the strawberries and sugar in a small pan and bring to a simmer.  Cook until syrupy.  Mash the strawberries with a potato masher.  Let cool, cover and chill until very cold.

Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer directions.  Transfer the ice cream to a large freezer-proof container with a tight-fitting lid.  Add the strawberry sauce to the ice cream and using a butter knife or thin spatula, swirl the sauce through the ice cream.

Cover tightly with the lid and freeze until firm enough to scoop.

To serve:

Scoop ice cream into serving bowls and top with fresh or frozen sliced strawberries.