Roasted Strawberry Lemon Ice Cream

It’s national ice cream month and what better way to celebrate than with homemade ice cream.  I love making ice cream, the more I make it the more I love it!  Although I have never met an ice cream flavor I don’t like, I love making it because you have total control over the ingredients and flavors.  What could be better?  Another plus about making your own ice cream is you can make smaller batches of ice cream, this way you can go through each batch faster than the huge store bought cartons and try make more flavors to try! 

I love strawberries and I love lemons, and the combination of the two are incredible! When I saw the recipe for this ice cream it moved to the top of my list.  I love roasting vegetables and love the flavor of the roasted vegetables but I have never thought of roasting fruits.  I’m not sure why it’s never crossed my mind but when I saw that this recipe called for roasted strawberries I was intrigued.  Roasting these strawberries in the sugar mixture only helped to intensify their sweetness.  I tested a strawberry, or two or three, when I took them from the oven and they were delicious!  I could have eated the entire batch of roasted berries but I knew I had to stop so I could make this delicious ice cream!  I’m so glad I refrained from eating the entire batch because this ice cream was fabulous.  It was light and creamy, yet refreshing at the same time because of the bright fruit flavors.  The flavor of lemon really came through, and while it was delicious, next time I will use more of the strawberry puree to get a little more strawberry flavor.  This is the perfect dessert for these hot summer days we are encountering and the perfect way to end any meal.

Roasted Strawberry Lemon Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Roasted Strawberries-

1 Pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Cup sugar
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tsp lemon zest

Ice Cream Base-

1½ Cups whole milk
2 Tbsp cornstarch
4 Tbsp cream cheese, softened
1 Tsp fine sea salt
1¼ Cups heavy cream
1 Cup sugar
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
¼ Cup buttermilk
Zest of 1 lemon
4 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

For the strawberries-

Preheat the oven to 375.

Combine the strawberries with the sugar in an 8 inch square glass baking dish. Roast until just soft, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly. Puree the berries, lemon zest and lemon juice in a food processor. Measure ½ cup of the pureed berries; refrigerate the rest.***

***I will use a cup or more of the puree next time
For the ice cream-
 
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. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
In a 4 quart saucepan, combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup and bring to a boil over for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return to a boil cook until slightly thickened,about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Gradually add the hot-milk mixture to the cream cheese, whisking until smooth. Add the reserved ½ cup strawberry puree, lemon juice, lemon zest and the buttermilk and blend well. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister of an ice cream maker and spin until thick and creamy.

Pour into a well sealed container and place in the freezer.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Eggshells Kitchen Company