I received an ice cream maker as a wedding gift, and while I probably never would have bought one on my own, I have found it fun and useful to experiment with. The instruction booklet also came with a whole bunch of delicious looking recipes in the back, and since we were having a gathering in August and it'd probably be hot outside, I chose the cheesecake ice cream recipe from the booklet. Sarah was surprised that it did not involve any eggs or stove cooking. She ended up making the mix in the food processor rather than a stand mixer because it was occupied with other cooking projects, something that also worked surprisingly well.
I will never forget when she opened it up to taste the mixture before freezing it. She dipped a finger in, tasted it, and said "well, that doesn't suck." I have since incorporated these words into my regular vocabulary.
Notes:
- The mix can be made in a food processor instead of a stand mixer.
- The original fruit sauce recipe called for raspberries instead of strawberries and orange zest instead of lemon, which I think would also taste great. We skipped straining out the strawberry seeds because they're quite small, but if you make it with raspberries I highly recommend straining out the seeds.
- Other substitutions: we used 2% milk instead of whole and Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and it worked quite nicely.
- We additionally served this with lemon curd and crushed graham crackers, though both of those things are 100% optional. The book also suggests chocolate sauce as a topping.
Verdict: I still don't make ice cream that much but I really loved this one, and would absolutely consider making it again.
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RECIPE:
Cheesecake Ice Cream with Strawberry Sauce
adapted from the recipe book that came with my Cuisinart ice cream maker
Makes about 5 cups ice cream and 1 1/4 cups strawberry sauce
For the ice cream:
12 oz (1.5 blocks) cream cheese, room temperature, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ cup mascarpone, room temperature
1 cup whole or 2% milk, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt, room temperature
For the strawberry sauce:
12 oz frozen strawberries, thawed
¼ cup granulated sugar
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch grated lemon zest
Ice cream: Place cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until very smooth. Gradually add the sugar and salt with the mixer running until thoroughly incorporated. Add mascarpone and continue to mix until well combined. Slowly add the milk and vanilla. Mix. Fold or gently mix in the sour cream. Cover mixture and refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight, until well chilled. Once the mixture is fully chilled, prepare and turn on the ice cream maker. Pour the ice cream mix into the frozen freezer bowl and mix until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours for a firmer texture. Let soften for about 15 minutes before serving. Top with strawberry sauce.
Strawberry sauce: Put fruit, sugar, salt, and lemon zest into the blender jar and place the lid on top. Blend on high speed for about 15 seconds or until smooth. Pass through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds, if desired. Store leftovers in a glass jar. It will keep in the refrigerator for 7-10 days, or in the freezer for 6-8 months.
