If you ever feel like making ice cream, try your hand at this one. It's blueberry cheesecake and ice cream all rolled into one, and it tastes absolutely fantastic! As I've used quite a substantial amount of cheese in this recipe, I figured it would be rich and creamy enough without the need to make a custard base for it, which makes this ice cream dead-easy to prepare. I layered the ice cream with some luscious blueberry compote which is also a breeze to make, but feel free to substitute it with other berries or fruit, or perhaps some chocolate chips or cookie crumbs if you like. Alternatively, just make plain cheesecake ice cream, which makes it versatile enough to be served with a variety of toppings like passionfruit, chocolate fudge sauce, caramel, fresh fruits or anything else you can think of. You could also make this into a frozen cheesecake by lining the base of a cake pan crushed biscuits, and then pouring the cheesecake mixture over it before letting it set in the freezer.
I've had to make this ice cream twice this week, as the first batch was completely finished within two days and both Mr G and I didn't get to eat much of it anyway. So, there's a new batch of this fabulous ice cream sitting in the freezer right now, and I reckon it won't be long until that's gone too. Before you serve this ice cream, be sure to let it stand on the kitchen counter for a few minutes to let it thaw out a little so that it's softer and easier to scoop.
Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Ingredients
Ice cream:
250g (8oz) Philadelphia cream cheese (at room temperature), cut into cubes
1 1/4 cup thickened/heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Blueberry compote:
1 1/4 cup frozen/fresh blueberries
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water
Method
In a food processor (alternatively, use a stand mixer), add the cheese and cream and blend until well combined. Add the sugar and blend again. Add the milk and blend until smooth and creamy, making sure that you use a spatula to scrape any cheese stuck to the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract and blend until well mixed. Pour into a container and chill for at least 4 hours.
Blueberry compote:
Combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan on medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until blueberries are very soft and almost mushy. Roughly mash or break up the blueberries with a spatula. Drizzle the cornstarch/water solution over the blueberries and stir until it comes to a boil and thickens. Turn off the heat and transfer the compote into a heatproof bowl. Let it cool and refrigerate until needed.
Remove the ice cream mixture from the fridge. Churn the mixture in an ice-cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.
In a freezer-safe container, place one-third of the churned ice-cream, followed by one-third of the blueberry compote. Repeat this layering process until finished. Freeze the ice-cream for at least 4 hours before serving. Enjoy!!!
