Roasted Strawberry & Buttermilk Ice Cream
I can’t believe that it’s already the end of June and this the very first batch of homemade ice cream I’ve churned up so far this year! I’m way, way behind on my ice cream game. I’ve been eating fresh fruit by the boatload for the last month, and wanted to make an ice cream that took advantage of the awesome produce we have right now. I have had the Jeni’s ice cream book on my shelf for well over a year now, and had yet to make a recipe from it, so I turned there first. As soon as I stumbled upon the roasted strawberry and buttermilk version, I knew I was in business.
Believe it or not, I have never roasted strawberries before, and I’m totally sold on the idea. It does an incredible job of concentrating and intensifying their flavor. Even though this ice cream contains a seemingly small amount of strawberry puree (a half cup), the finished product is literally bursting with the flavor of sweet and juicy strawberries.
I was also curious (suspicious?) of this particular method of ice cream-making. Instead of using egg yolks to thicken the custard and create a richness, the combination of a cornstarch slurry and a little bit of cream cheese is used. In the past, I have found that ice cream recipes that don’t use egg yolks are not nearly as rich or creamy, and tend to have an ice milk quality to them.
Using the combination of the cornstarch slurry and the cream cheese resulted in this ice cream base having the consistency and flavor of a sweetened condensed milk. Which is to say, it was amazing. I still withheld judgement until it had been frozen overnight for the true test. The verdict was that it was absolutely rich, creamy and delicious. The consistency is slightly different than my egg yolk custards, but not at all in a bad way, just different.
I was blown away by the flavor and consistency of this ice cream, and I love that this method allows you to make the base and churn the ice cream within an hour of each other. Genius!
Now that I’ve kicked off my summer ice cream-making, I have a long list that I need to tackle. In the meantime, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be eating this one straight from the freezer, with a spoon. Don’t judge.
One year ago: Strawberry Pimm’s Cup Cocktail
Two years ago: S’mores Ice Cream and Red, White and Blue Firecracker Popsicles
Three years ago: Zucchini Squares
Five years ago: Almond Macarons with Nutella Filling
Six years ago: Parmesan Chicken
Seven years ago: Blueberry Crisp
Roasted Strawberry & Buttermilk Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the Roasted Strawberries:
- 1 pint (473.18 g) strawberries, hulled and sliced ½-inch thick, (16 ounces)
- â…“ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
For the Ice Cream Base:
- 1½ cups (366 ml) whole milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 4 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature, (2 ounces)
- â…› teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) fine sea salt
- 1¼ cups (297.5 ml) heavy cream
- â…” cup (133.33 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk
Instructions
- Roast the Strawberries: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine the strawberries with the sugar in an 8-inch square baking dish. Roast for 8 minutes, or until barely soft. Let cool slightly.
- Place the strawberries in a food processor, along with the lemon juice. Puree until smooth. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large measuring cup and strain the strawberry puree. Set aside ½ cup for the recipe; refrigerate the remaining for another use.
- Make the Ice Cream Base: Mix 2 tablespoons of the whole milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry; set aside.
- Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside.
- Combine the remaining whole milk, the cream, sugar and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Return the pan to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the reserved ½-cup strawberry puree and the buttermilk and whisk to thoroughly combine. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon resealable freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice if necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
- Churn the Ice Cream: Churn the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Place in an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This is a lovely ice cream but is more of a buttermilk ice cream with a hint of strawberry. I ended up swirling in a lot more of the extra puree. next time I will try just adding more to the base in the first place.
Really delicious recipe! Â I have both of Jeni’s books and have tried ice cream from her shops (I’m a diehard fan), but had not made this flavor before… it’s killer! Â The berry flavor comes through beautifully and the ice cream is perfectly balanced and tangy.
YUM! I might leave the strawberries out of it. I had just plain buttermilk ice cream from a local ice cream maker here in Lexington (Crank & Boom) a couple of months ago and it was so fantastic. I’m glad you’ve now given me the ability to make some myself!
if you guys want a fantastic mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe check this out: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID=51869&origin=detail&servings=8&metric=false
Ok so I have also had the Jeni’s ice cream cookbook on my shelf for a year and have been avoiding it because I was worried about the no egg yolks thing. I actually splurged big time and got myself the really nice cuisinart ice cream maker and opened the Jeni’s book TODAY and put it down again because I just worried about the ice cream being too icy. So… you have convinced me and I shall try it today :). Nice timing!!
Absolutely yummy! The ice cream didn’t last but 1/2 a day in the house. I think next time I will add chunks of strawberries (I love chunky ice cream). I “roasted” the strawberries on the grill, living in Arizona means my oven doesn’t come on for any reason at all from June until October. The grilled berries were great!
If I just wanted Vanilla ice cream would I have to make any adjustments to this recipe or just leave out the strawberry step?
Hi Ginny, I have not tried this method for pure vanilla ice cream, so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out, but I would definitely omit the buttermilk.
Hi I finally found you on google. I liked your comments about Pap and his cookie tricks. Happy birthday to Duke! woof, woof!!!! love U
I just made ice cream today! I am so behind too, but it’s a start. I roasted strawberries two weeks ago and the flavour is so delicious. The ice cream looks gorgeous and I’d love to have some!
This ice cream looks so incredible! I’ve never tried roasted strawberries before — but they sound totally delicious. Especially in the form of ice cream!
Pinning!
I haven’t made any ice cream yet either. I need to get to it! Always wondered about cream cheese ice creams too – glad to hear they are delicious.
Love this ice cream! I want a scoop!
I love love love Jeni’s. I just got this book and one of the recipes I first eyed was this one. Looks amazing!!
Love, love, LOVE Jeni’s ice cream cook book. I have made this roasted strawberry buttermilk recipe and it is truly fantastic. I quadruple her recipe for the vanilla ice cream and make it in my big electric freezer. It is perfect with your hot fudge sauce recipe!!
Love Jeni’s ice cream and have had the pleasure of getting it fresh at the scoop shops, plus our local Plum Market carries a lot of her flavors. My only gripe is the addition of corn syrup to the base – I also make a lot of ice cream and prefer a true egg custard style base.
What a beautiful shade of pale pink and I bet so so amazing! Pinned!
I love roasted strawberries, and have been meaning to try them in ice cream! I just got an ice cream maker recently, so I’ll have to check out Jeni’s ice cream book. This ice cream sounds so delicious!
I have made something similar, by roasting the strawberries with vanilla. There is no puree-ing – it gives off a lot of liquid when roasting, and then you use it all, giving your ice cream some strawberry pieces. The custard is made solely from buttermilk – no cornstarch, no cream cheese – and it comes out perfectly.
Great recipe! Quick question – what kind of ice cream maker do you use? I’m torn between the KitchenAid attachment or the Cuisinart standalone model. Any opinions/suggestions you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)
Hi Katy, I have the KitchenAid attachment. I’ve been using it for years and I’ve never had a problem with it. That said, I’ve never tried others, so I don’t have anything to compare it to.
Thanks for sharing a Jeni’s recipe with your readers! I live in Columbus, home of Jeni’s, and there definitely is no match for her unique flavor combinations! I have made this strawberry ice cream several times, and while not quite as good as getting it straight from Jeni’s, it’s pretty good. The nice thing is that there is plenty of strawberry puree to make two batches of the ice cream. I have four pints in my freezer right now! I also highly recommend the dark chocolate and milk chocolate recipes in this book. I’m also making my way through the book and hope to try some more soon!
Using cream cheese does seem a little “off” at first, but I actually find that I prefer it to the egg custard method.
I have always wanted to learn how to make ice cream – you make it seem so easy. I love the roasted strawberry idea!
Anisa – The Macadames. xx
http://www.themacadames.com
Jeni’s is the best! If you are ever in Columbus Ohio get a scoop and see for yourself. I think you can have it shipped too.
After you roasted and pureed the strawberries and used 1/2 cup for the recipe, approximately how much was left of the strawberry mixture? I like to plan ahead so I was wondering what I could use the remaining strawberries for
Hi Renee, There was about a little less than a cup left; you could use it for more batches of this ice cream, topping other ice creams, topping pancakes or waffles, stirring into yogurt, etc.
This sounds sooooo good!! LOVE!
I’m also terribly behind on my summer ice cream making. This strawberry one sounds like the perfect summer treat! I also just adapted a Jeni’s ice cream recipe this weekend and LOVE the consistency it produced.
Wow, love the flavors in this, so great!!