Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk Ice Cream

Two weeks ago, I finally got a copy of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. I should have got this two years ago. It is a bit late, but better late than never. I am so happy I got it. This is a cookbook for all ice cream lovers. The recipe steps are easy to follow. Not only there are 100 recipes, there are also all kinds of condiments recipes, like cake, brittle, ice cream cone, candy, and sauces. You can really make any ice cream you want with the help of this book. It is a must-have for ice cream fanatics! Buy it if you still haven’t got one!

I read through the whole book once I got it. And the one that screamed to me most was this roasted strawberry and buttermilk recipe. Strawberry season has just arrived. Nothing beat to have sweet and ripe strawberries to cook with. The roasted strawberries smelled and tasted amazing. I thought I would have eaten everything before I added them to the ice cream base. The ice cream came out very thick and creamy. The strawberry can be tasted and I really like the hint of tanginess from the buttermilk. What a perfect scoop of ice cream! I am sure you will like this too!

Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk Ice Cream (Adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams At Home)

1 quart ice cream

Ingredients:

–   1 ½ cup whole milk

–   1 ¼ cup heavy cream

–   2/3 cup sugar

–   ¼ cup buttermilk

–   2 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)

–   2 tablespoons light corn syrup

–   1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

–   1 (1-gallon) Ziploc freezer bag

–   parchment paper or wax paper

–   ice

–   water

Roasted Strawberries Puree:

–   1 pint strawberries (rinsed, hulled, and sliced into ½ inch thick)

–   1/3 cup sugar

–   3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
2. For the strawberries, in an 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, combine the strawberries and sugar gently. Spread the strawberries out evenly. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes or until just soft. Remove from oven. Set aside and let cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, pour 1½ cup of milk in a measuring cup. Scoop 2 tablespoons of milk from the measuring cup to a small bowl and pour rest of the milk in a 4-quart saucepan. Set the saucepan aside. Stir the 2 tablespoons of milk with the cornstarch until smooth.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt together until smooth. Set aside.
5. With a blender or food processor, puree the roasted strawberries and lemon juice together. Measure ½ cup of puree and transfer the rest to an airtight container for other uses (maybe for Individual Strawberry Pavlova?).
6. In a large bowl, fill half full with water and add some ice. Set aside.
7. In the 4-quart saucepan with the milk, add the heavy cream, sugar and corn syrup. Stir and mix. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Once it is in a rolling boil, continue to boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return the saucepan to heat and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat until slightly thickened, stirring with a spatula, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
8. Slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the reserved ½ cup puree and buttermilk. Mix well. Pour the mixture into the Ziploc bag. Seal and submerge into the ice bath until cold, about 30 minutes. Add more ice if necessary.
9. Pour the cold mixture into the ice cream machine and follow the machine instruction. Once the ice cream is ready, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container. Press a sheet of parchment paper directly against the surface of the ice cream. Close with a lid. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
10. Before serving, leave the ice cream container at room temperature for 5 – 10 minutes to soften slightly. Scoop and serve.

Tip:

1. When boiling the milk, keep a close eye on the liquid. Milk can bubble up fast and boil over. Turn down the heat when that happens.
2. I actually like to top my ice cream with some of the leftover strawberry puree. Nomm… more strawberries please!

Source: Read