With summer here, I've been trying to find ways to cool down. That means tons of ice cold water to build my own lake. I've been filling up a garden sprayer with water (and sometimes ice) just to cool off the body parts that get hotter (ie my face.) Oh yes, that also means ice cream. Sweet sugary ice cream! Which, honestly, reminds me of a story that I should share on how hot it really is in Texas.
Last night, I needed to do some grocery shopping. So, I went into Wal-Mart and grabbed the stuff I needed (with a few extras in tow because you never should shop hungry!). As I was leaving the store, I saw the ice display and decided to look in. Of course, it's a huge freezer and it felt good. I saw how depleted the ice display was. I'm sure, by the end of the night, the leftover 10 bags had found a good home. Now, if you've ever been to a store with a huge ice display, you know that they fill those things up. This one was as bare as the chip aisle during the Super Bowl. Too bad I couldn't just spend 5 more minutes holding the huge freezer door open... It felt like I was skiing in Aspen (although I've never done it!)
So, back to the ice cream. So, who here loves cheesecake? I do! I do! So, I found this recipe while searching online and it looks so good!
(Image and recipe from: http://www.whatwereeating.com/)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
zest from 1 lemon
2 tbsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/5 cups crumbled honey graham crackers, (large crumbles are good!)
In a small bowl, make a slurry using the corn starch and about 2-3 tbsp of the milk. Stir until corn starch has completely dissolved. Set aside.
Place the remainder of the milk, the sugar, the lemon zest and a pinch of salt into a saucepan and stir to combine. Place the sauce pan over medium-high heat. Allow the mixture to almost reach a boil, stirring frequently. Once the mixture has almost reached a boil, whisk in the corn starch slurry then reduce heat to a low simmer. Let the milk mixture simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes at room temperature.
While the mixture is cooling, beat the cream cheese in a mixing bowl either using an electric mixer or by hand with a spatula until the cream cheese is creamy and easy to work with. Adding about 2-3 tbsp at a time, beat the lemon juice into the cream cheese until smooth. Once the 2-3 tbsp have been incorporated, repeat this process until all of the lemon juice has been fully mixed in.
Add the slightly cooled milk/cornstarch mixture to the lemon/cream cheese mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days until ready to churn.
Freeze the ice cream in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once frozen, remove from ice cream machine and add the crumbled graham crackers. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, stir until the graham crackers have been distributed throughout the ice cream. Serve the ice cream immediately or place into an air-tight container and place in the freezer. The ice cream is best consumed within 24 hours. (The longer it sits in the freezer the icier, and less desirable, it will get!) Enjoy!
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