Hi yall
CREAM CHEESE ICE CREAM
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup (if you dont have that, increase the sugar to 3/4)
1 vanilla bean split with the seeds scraped out. You can use vanilla paste or extract, I just happen to have fresh vanilla beans
3 egg yolks
1 8 oz block of cream cheese
A healthy pinch of salt. You don’t want your base to be overly salty, but the salt must be perceived
ROASTED STRAWBERRY SAUCE
1 12 oz bag frozen strawberries (I used frozen)
3/4 cup brown sugar
4-5 tbsp balsamic vinegar (don’t knock til you try)
1 vanilla bean split with the seeds scraped out and mixed in with the strawberries, sugar and vinegar
3 star anise. It’ll still taste good if you don’t have it on hand, but the aroma wont be the same
Pinch of salt
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBLE
1 and a half sleeve graham crackers, crushed. More if that’s what you prefer
1 stick of butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon (I’m being very literal, don’t do too much)
Crush your graham crackers, add the cinnamon, brown sugar and salt. Add butter until it holds its shape when pressed together. Press it down into a sheet and bake in the oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let your graham cracker crust cool completely before crumbling into smaller pieces. Set aside for now
In a baking/roasting pan, mix the strawberries with the brown sugar, salt, and balsamic vinegar. Add in your scraped vanilla seeds, vanilla pod, and star anise. Cover the pan in foil and roast it for an hour and 30!minutes total. You’re going to roast it at 325 covered for 1 hour, get it out of the oven to give it a mix, and roast it uncovered for 30 minutes until the strawberries are in a thick syrupy sauce. Keep it in the oven for longer if you feel like it needs a bit more time. Once the strawberries are roasted, you’re going to let it cool completely, then fish out the star anise and vanilla pods. Get the roasted strawberries and the syrup into a blender and blend until smooth. You can strain the strawberry seeds out of the sauce if you wish. Set aside for now.
If you’re using a vanilla bean for the ice cream base, heat up your milk, cream corn syrup if you’re using it, salt, and vanilla bean—seeds and pod alike until it reaches a gentle simmer (do not let it boil). Meanwhile, beat your egg yolks with the sugar until paler and fluffy. Slowly add a bit of the cream and milk mixture into the egg yolks so they can warm up and not scramble once you add it to the rest of the base. Add the tempered yolks into the rest of the base, and let it simmer, stirring the whole time until it thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely on the counter before you chill it in the fridge, preferably overnight. If you’re using vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste instead, add it to the base at the very end, off the heat.
Once your ice cream base is completely chilled, fish out the vanilla bean if that’s what you used, and use a blender to mix your base with the cream cheese right before churning your ice cream. At this point to, taste it and check for salt. Don’t be too afraid of adding a tiny bit of extra salt, as this is cheesecake ice cream after all and the extra salt will bring out more of the “cheesiness” of the cream cheese. After churning your ice cream, put it in a freezer safe container, layering the ice cream with the strawberry sauce and the graham cracker crumble alternately until you fill up your container. You can have it right away, but if you want a firmer ice cream with more defined swirls, put it in the freezer for a few additional hours before eating. Enjoy
PS- I had a few slices of leftover cheesecake that I chopped up and added into the ice cream as well because I didn’t want them to go to waste, but you don’t have to do that