Whereas the buttermilk and crème fraîche ice creams are light and delicate, this one packs a rich, creamy wallop. This recipe is made for add-in ingredients to create a full-on cheesecake effect. Plain cream cheese, like Philadelphia brand, is the classic choice for making this recipe; in fact, the stabilizers in this product will help keep the base emulsified. Natural cream cheese will give you a lighter flavor. Or use mascarpone for a rich flavor without the tang of cream cheese.
AT A GLANCE
MAKES: 1½ quarts
TECHNIQUE: Ice cream
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Ice cream machine
CHILLING TIME: 2 hours or overnight
INGREDIENTS:
- 5 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1½ cups heavy cream 1½ cups 1% or 2% milk 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
MAKE THE BASE
- In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks just to break them up, then whisk in half of the sugar (6 tablespoons). Put the cream cheese in another medium heatproof bowl. Set both bowls aside.
- In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, and the remaining sugar (6 tablespoons) and put the pan over medium high heat. When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
- Carefully scoop out about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture and, whisking the eggs constantly, add the cream to the bowl with the egg yolks. Repeat, adding another ½ cup of the hot cream to the bowl with the yolks. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the cream in the saucepan as you slowly pour the egg-and-cream mixture from the bowl into the pan.
- Cook the mixture carefully over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened, coats the back of a spatula, and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula, 1 to 2 minutes longer.
- Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into the bowl with the cream cheese. Whisk until smooth, then set the bowl into an ice-water bath, wash your spatula, and use it to stir the base occasionally until it is cool. Remove from the ice-water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours or overnight. (In this recipe, it’s particularly important that the base is cold before proceeding to the next step, because otherwise the lemon juice will cause the mixture to “break” and lose its emulsion.)
FREEZE THE ICE CREAM
- Add the lemon juice and vanilla to the cold base and whisk to incorporate well.
- Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the ice cream is churning, put the container you’ll use to store the ice cream into the freezer. Enjoy right away or, for a firmer ice cream, transfer to the chilled container and freeze for at least 4 hours.
MAKE IT YOUR OWN
- Fold in ½ cup crumbled graham crackers.
- Swirl in ½ to ⅓ cup Raspberry Swirl Sauce, Fudge Ripple, or Lemon Curd.
SERVE IT WITH …
- Whatever toppings you like on your cheesecake, like Berry Compote or Blueberry-Lemon Sauce
- Our favorites, Hot Fudge Sauce and Almond Toffee
