Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Grab a freezer-safe dish that can hold at least 2 quarts and place it in the freezer to chill while you make the ice cream. Whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl. Make sure the butter is well distributed, then set this bowl aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Push that over somewhere, and grab another bowl. In this one, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, then add the condensed milk and vanilla bean paste. Continue beating until everything is combined, fluffy and there are no lumps.

Using a spatula, fold one-third of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Repeat until you’ve folded in all of the whipped cream and no more streaks remain. 

Pull out the ice cream pan. Add half of the ice cream mixture. Spread it out into an even layer, and then dollop the top with roasted berries until you’ve used about two-thirds of them. Next, sprinkle half of the graham cracker mixture over the surface, between the roasted strawberries. Spread the remaining ice cream over the top in another even layer, and top it with berries and graham crackers just as before, saving about a tablespoon of each for decorating the top, if desired. Use the sharp end of a chef’s knife to gently swirl the berries and graham crackers into the ice cream, then smooth it back into an even layer, pressing down gently to make sure there’s not a lot of air trapped in there.  Top with the reserved berries and graham crackers.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic down directly against the surface of the ice cream and smoothing it out (this will prevent ice from forming on the surface. Cover the plastic wrap tightly with aluminum foil, then freeze. Freeze for at least 8 hours.

When ready to serve, pull the ice cream from the freezer, remove the plastic and foil, and allow it to rest on the counter for a few minutes. Store your ice cream scoop in a cup of hot water and use that to scoop out the cream – preferably into one of my Strawberry Crunch Cones. Dassit! 


Simple Roasted Strawberries:

Preheat your oven to 375°F and place an oven rack right in the middle of the oven. If you have any super large berries, cut those in half. The smaller ones can stay whole.
Place the berries in an oven-safe dish with a 2-3 quart capacity and spread them out so the top layer is pretty even in height. Sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the top of all the berries.
Transfer the berries to the oven and allow to roast for 20 minutes.
After twenty minutes have passed, pull the berries from the oven and use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently stir them. Place them back in the oven and continue roasting for 15-25 minutes more, until the berries have noticeably softened and are floating in a hearty amount of syrup. Don’t overcook or they’ll darken in color and fall apart.
Allow the berries to rest on the counter until cooled to almost room temperature, then transfer the berries to airtight containers. If desired, pour the berries through a strainer first to separate them from the juice/syrup and store the berries and the syrup separately. These will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.