Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

I had big plans for all the things I was going to do with the roasted strawberries I made. But that was before I realized just how good they were all on their own, and couldn’t stop myself from picking them out of the bowl one by one. Addictive doesn’t even begin to describe it!

Luckily there’s still plenty of time left in strawberry season to roast another batch so no biggie. And I did manage to salvage enough from the first go-round to make this roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream. While all ice cream screams summer to me, this particular flavor just begs to be made right now in the height of strawberry season. It’s my favorite time of year at the grocery store – I just love walking in and seeing row upon row of delicious berries 🙂

I have to confess I’m not usually a huge fan of strawberry ice cream, or fruity flavors in general for that matter (pass the mint chocolate chip and coffee please!), but this roasted strawberry ice cream was pretty fantastic. The flavor of the strawberries really shines and gives the ice cream a wonderful freshness! The addition of the buttermilk makes it just ever so slightly tangy too, it’s such a great combination of flavors. I think this is the 3rd recipe I’ve tried from from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, and just like the others, this one is so thick and creamy. She has a technique for making ice cream I’ve never seen before that includes cream cheese. Unlike most of my favorite ice cream recipes which incorporate egg yolks, hers do not, so if you’ve avoided making ice cream for fear of having to cook the eggs, you’ll definitely want to check out her book!

This roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream would be perfect for any 4th of July celebrations you’re having in the next week (or just about any summer parties for that matter). I’m thinking strawberry shortcake with roasted strawberries instead of plain, a big scoop of this ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream on top! However you enjoy it, you’ve got to try this one before summer is over 🙂

Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
adapted from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home by Jeni Britton Bauer (via The Sweets Life)

{Note: If you’re using the recipe for roasted strawberries I link below, you’ll need about 2/3 of the recipe to yield 1/2 cup of puree. You may want to use a little lemon juice to help puree the berries and achieve a smooth consistency.}

1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 oz (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup roasted strawberry puree

In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the whole milk with the cornstarch to make a slurry. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and salt.

Add the remaining milk, the heavy cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a medium saucepan. Set over medium to medium-high heat and bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 4 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and drizzle in the cornstarch slurry, whisking constantly to incorporate. Set the pan back over medium to medium-high heat and return to a boil, cooking for about 1 minute, or until the mixture has thickened slightly.

Slowly add the milk mixture to the bowl with the cream cheese, whisking constantly until fully incorporated and smooth. Mix in the buttermilk and the strawberry puree. If desired, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into another heatproof bowl (I wanted to remove as many of the strawberry seeds as possible). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours (or overnight, which is what I did).

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and store in your freezer.