Recipe Index

Sweets | Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk Ice Cream

Posted on April 25, 2012

The texture of this is amazing. So smooth, not icy at all. The strawberries are roasted to concentrate the flavor. This is my third time making one of Jeni's ice creams, her method is a bit different than others that I have used, slightly more effort but the payoff is worth it.

Yield: 2 pints / 1 quart

roasted strawberry and buttermilk ice cream

Ingredients

ROASTED STRAWBERRIES

1 pint (about 2 1/2 cups) strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/2 inch thick

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

ICE CREAM BASE

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/4 cup buttermilk

 

Method

STRAWERRIES

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the strawberries with the sugar in an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish, stirring gently to mix well. Roast for 8 minutes, or until just soft. (Mine took about 10 minutes.) Let cool slightly.

Puree the berries in a food processor with the lemon juice. Measure 1/2 cup of the pureed berries; refrigerate the rest of the puree for another use.

ICE CREAM

Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk (when I tried to whisk it, the whole thing stuck to the whisk, I used a fork instead) the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the reserved 1/2 cup strawberry puree and the buttermilk and blend well. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes. (Instead I use a big Pyrex measuring cup and cool it down in an ice bath, then put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.)

Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy. (About 25 to 30 minutes.)

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

 

(Ref. "Roasted Strawberry & Buttermilk Ice Cream" recipe, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home.)