Summer Loving

So far this summer, this is our absolute favorite homemade flavor. I am always a little wrapped up with my love for food, but I must admit that I am obsessed with homemade ice cream.  As we wait for our garden to explode, I have been lucky enough to find some incredible produce at our farmer's market, which makes dinner quick and easy...but all I can think about is what flavor of ice cream I want to try to bust out while my kids sleep...I am sure that I have mentioned before that my kids are not really that fond of sleep, so usually I am running to get dinner together and get the ice cream made. This particular evening dinner and ice cream were AMAZING!

I adapted the recipe to fit our style but the original ingredients are in {these}


ROASTED STRAWBERRY BUTTERMILK ICE CREAM

Yield: 4 servings

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

1 cup coconut sugar, divided {or regular sugar}

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided

2 tablespoons tapioca starch {or corn starch}

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons tapioca syrup {or light corn syrup}

1/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries and 1/3 cup sugar in an 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, stirring gently to mix well. Roast for 8 minutes or until just soft. Let cool slightly.

2. Purée the berries with the lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Measure 1/2 cup of the puréed berries and set aside; refrigerate the rest for another use. {This puree is amazing, would be great to use the rest for some fresh strawberry margaritas or for homemade strawberry waffles or....another batch of amazing ice cream.}

3. Mix about 2 tablespoons milk with starch in a bowl to make a smooth slurry. With a wooden spoon, stir together cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill another large bowl with ice and water.

4. Combine the remaining milk, cream, the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and tapioca syrup in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the starch slurry.

5. Return to medium-high heat; bring to a boil and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

6. Gradually mix the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the reserved 1/2 cup strawberry purée and buttermilk; blend well.

7. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon zip-closed freezer bag; submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice if necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

8. Pour the mixture into the canister of an ice-cream machine and churn until thick and creamy. 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.