I have a recept for frozen custard that I have the greatest success with, if I am just making vainilla. My problem is when I add fruit ie., strawberries the fruit becomes to hard and dose not thaw at the same rate as the custard. Any suggestions?

Ice cream making is a big topic that we will eventually cover in more detail in the cooking school. Fruit is mostly water so when it freezes, it becomes hard like an ice cube. Sugar lowers the temperature at which foods harden and freeze; therefore, one way to get around this is to poach the fruit first. Poach the fruit in a syrup made of 1 part sugar to 2 parts water (you can also add other flavorings to the poaching liquid to infuse flavor into the fruit). Drain the fruit well. Fold it into the churned custard prior to freezing. The higher sugar content in the fruit, the softer it will be once frozen. Cheers!