Roasted Strawberry & Buttermilk Ice Cream

So for my birthday, I bought myself a new cookbook. An ICE CREAM cookbook.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer

I never realized how detailed making ice cream is until reading through this book.  There is a science behind making ice cream.  This is what Jeni has to say about making ice cream.

          *Ice cream is a frozen emulsion of water, butterfat (the concentrated fat in milk), proteins (whey and casein), sugars (sucrose, glucose, lactose, and others), starch (thickener), air, and flavors. Other additions (fruit, chocolate, alcohol, etc.) can disrupt the balance.  In addition, if the proportions of water, protein, and fat are out of balance, it can make the ice cream feel too cold or too warm on the palate.  Understanding the interplay of these ingredients on a molecular level is what ice cream making is all about.* --Jeni Britton Bauer

She goes on to explain in further detail the balance of water, butterfat, protein, sugar, starch and air in great detail.  This woman is an ice cream goddess.

Her book is fabulous, with amazing recipes for anyone at home to make their own creamy delights.  I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to make their own ice cream. There is so much to learn!

As my last attempt to cling to Summer, I've decided to make several ice cream recipes from her book, which I will be posting here. She has divided her ice cream recipes into four sections; Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.  And the recipes are so appropriate.

My first recipe from the book is from SPRING--roasted strawberry & buttermilk ice cream.  This ice cream is creamy, tart, tangy, and sweet.  So here it is, without further adieu, for your viewing and my eating pleasure!

Roasted Strawberries

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/2 inch thick

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbs fresh lemon juice

Ice Cream Base

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tbs cornstarch

2 ounces (4 tbs) cream cheese, softened

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 tbs light corn syrup

1/4 cup buttermilk

PREP

For the Strawberries:

     Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Combine the strawberries with the sugar in an 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, stirring gently to mix well.  Roast for 8 minutes, or until just soft. Let cool slightly.  Puree the berries in a food processor with the lemon juice.  Measure 1/2 cup of the pureed berries; refrigerate the rest of the puree for another use.

For the Ice Cream Base:

     Mix about 2 tbs 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.

COOK

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and 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 heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat.

CHILL

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the reserved 1/2 cup strawberry puree and the buttermilk and blend well.  Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath.  Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.  (I put mine into an ice bath and then into the fridge.)

FREEZE

Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.  (You will need an ice cream maker for this part.  I use a Cuisine Art 1-1/2 quart.)  Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid.  Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.
Creamy perfection.

 Since I had extra strawberry puree I drizzled it onto the ice cream. Sooo delish.