Although there is nothing wrong with eating ice cream in the middle of winter, you just can’t beat having a frozen snack on those scorching hot summer days.
So, don’t let the next summer pass you by without eating the king of ice cream flavors - vanilla - with fresh strawberries. Grab your ice cream spoons and enjoy your frozen treats!
Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk, divided
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/16 teaspoon salt
1 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 (4-inch) piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup quartered strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
Method:
- Combine 2 tablespoons milk and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Combine cream cheese and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
- Combine remaining milk, half-and-half, and next 3 ingredients (through corn syrup) in a medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; stir seeds into milk mixture in pan, reserving bean for another use. Bring to a boil; boil 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add cornstarch mixture; stir with a whisk. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Gradually add milk mixture to cream cheese mixture, stirring until smooth. Return milk mixture to saucepan. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl until mixture cools to room temperature (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
- While ice cream freezes, combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 5 minutes or until fruit is soft and juice is syrupy. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl until fruit is cold (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- When ice cream is finished churning, transfer to a container suitable for the freezer, alternating spoonfuls of the ice cream with dollops of the fruit. Press a piece of parchment or wax paper directly on the surface of the ice cream, and freeze until firm, about 4 hours. Remove from freezer to soften before serving.