Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Friends, all I can say is- prepare for an onslaught of strawberry recipes. After Sarah’s lovely post on Tuesday, all I can think about is how to work this sweet berry into my diet. I’d say strawberries are bordering on my favorite fruit, so the fact that their season is only a few weeks long makes my obsession during this period that much greater.

First strawberry recipe- ice cream, of course! I haven’t made any other strawberry ice cream recipes other than this one, but I can tell you I probably never will. This one is genius. The key to its success is the fact that instead of putting slices of strawberry into the ice cream base, which only results in rock hard flavorless chunks, you make a flavorful purée which you then fold into the cream. On top of that, it also includes buttermilk, which provides the perfect tang against the sweetness of the sugar and berries. Genius, right? Enjoy!

More ice cream: Vanilla Bean and Cookies and Cream

Roasted Strawberry Ice Cream from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Makes about 1 quart

• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1/3 c sugar
• 3 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 c whole milk
• 1 1/4 c heavy cream
• 1/4 c buttermilk
• 2/3 c sugar
• 2 T light corn syrup
• 2 T cornstarch
• 4 T or 2 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt

Roast the Strawberries: Preheat the oven to 375°. Place the strawberries and sugar in an 8 inch square baking dish and toss to combine. Roast for 8-12 minutes until just softened. Let cool slightly.

Purée the berries in a food processor with the lemon juice. Measure 1/2 cup of the puréed berries; refrigerate the rest of the purée for another use.

Make the Ice Cream Base: Mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.  Set both aside.

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup and a sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat. 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 rubber spatula, until slightly thickened- about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Chill: Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Mix the buttermilk into the strawberry purée, then gradually whisk into the ice mixture until well blended.  Fill a large bowl with ice and a bit of water to create an ice bath. Pour the ice cream mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Submerge the bag in the ice bath. Place the bowl in the fridge and let chill until very cold- at least an hour, or up to overnight.  Once cold, pour the ice cream into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy- about 25 minutes.

Pac the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, about 5 hours.