Strawberry Milkshakes (and a giveaway!!!)

Earlier this month, I was invited to participate in the "Great Shakes 2012 Virtual Blog Party" to celebrate the paperback release of Adam Ried's book "Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes: 100 Classic and Contemporary Recipes."

I happen to love milkshakes (and really, who doesn't?) so I quickly agreed to join in, and anxiously awaited my copy of the book in the mail. I may have mentioned before that I love cookbooks, and tend to read them straight through like novels whenever I get a new one. I basically did the same for this book, and after drooling over creations like a Maple-Bacon Shake, and the Peach Shake with Brandy and Nutmeg, I settled on making an old classic - the Strawberry Shake.

Whenever I get a milkshake at a restaurant, I always opt for the strawberry version, and am usually disappointed by their lack of actual strawberry flavor. In the book, Adam Ried uses strawberry sorbet as a component of his strawberry shake recipe, and makes a point that oftentimes sorbet tastes more like actual strawberries than the fruit itself. Even when strawberries are in season, half the time they're shipped from 800 miles away, and just don't live up to their full potential. That is, unless you wake up at the bumcrack of dawn to go to a farmer's market and buy berries, which I do not.

I am please to report that this strawberry shake is the best shake I have ever had. It is super thick, and almost reminds me of a Wendy's Frosty in consistency (only like, 1,000 times more delicious.) There may be a straw in the photo, but I actually couldn't drink this through the straw until it got melty towards the end. Best of all, it is full of strawberry flavor, thanks to the author's brilliant idea to use sorbet. (Also, it's totally healthy because it is fruity and has tons of calcium. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.)

Now, for the giveaway! (Update: Congrats to the winner, Lianna!) The nice people at W.W. Norton & Company were awesome enough to agree to give away a copy of "Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes" to one of you!

To enter, just leave any comment below, with a valid email address so that I can contact you if you win, by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 2, 2012. I love you all, but only U.S. readers are eligible for this giveaway! One entry per person, please.

Lastly, if you're interested in learning more about this book & chatting with the author, join me & the rest of the participants in a Twitter party tomorrow (Monday) night - just follow the hashtag #GreatShakes at 8 p.m. EST to join in!

Disclosure: This giveaway is provided to you by W.W. Norton & Company. I received a copy of this book free of charge, but was not monetarily compensated for this review or giveaway. All opinions, as always, are my own!

Here's what you'll need to make 2 strawberry shakes:

1/2 cup cold whole or low-fat milk
2 tablespoons strawberry jam or preserves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 14-ounce container strawberry ice cream, softened 'til just melty at edges
1 14-ounce container strawberry sorbet, softened 'til just melty at edges

Add the milk, jam, and lemon juice to a blender, and blend about 15 seconds, until mixed thoroughly. Add the ice cream and sorbet, and pulse several times to start breaking them up. With the blender turned off, use a flexible spatula to mash the mixture down onto the blades. Continue pulsing, stopping, and mashing until the mixture is well blended, thick, and moves freely in the blender jar - about 30-90 seconds. Add another splash of milk if necessary to adjust the consistency. Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream if desired, and serve immediately.

Printer-friendly
Source: Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes: 100 Thick and Creamy Shakes You Can Make at Home