Nothing says summer like ice cream! During the stresses of finals week, I impulsively bought an ice cream maker for my kitchen aid stand mixer in anticipation for summer break and I have to say that it was a wonderful investment. Popular recipes for ice cream without a machine involving sweetened condensed milk and whipping cream have been circulating around the internet over the past couple of years but in my experience, these recipes don’t compare to real ice cream. The flavor of sweetened condensed milk doesn’t quite sit well with me and sticks out like a sore thumb when you are eating the final ice cream.

Luckily, you can make wonderful custard-based ice cream with or without an ice cream maker and with fresh ingredients (i.e. not condensed milk). The texture won’t be quite as good without an ice cream maker but it will be pretty darn close. 

I made strawberry cheesecake ice cream but the good thing about ice cream is that it is customizable so go have fun with your favorite flavors.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Fridge time: 12 hours

Makes 3 pints

1 and ½ Cups Whole Milk

1 and ½ Cups Heavy Cream

2 Egg Yolks

8 oz Cream Cheese

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

½ Pound Strawberries

5 Graham Crackers

2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

½ Cup + ¼  Cup + ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar

Part 1: Custard

1. Whisk together the egg yolks, ½ cup of sugar, and a splash of the milk (about 2 tablespoons) until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Without ice cream maker:

Bring the milk to a boil on a saucepan. Quickly whisk the egg yolk mixture while slowly adding the milk (otherwise the egg yolks will scramble). Return the mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat while stirring until it is 185 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, then cook it until the mixture has thickened and is barely bubbling around the edges of the pot. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it melts into the mixture. Then add the vanilla. Refrigerate the mixture for 4 (or more) hours.

With ice cream maker:

Bring the milk and cream to a boil on a saucepan. Quickly whisk the egg yolk mixture while slowly adding the milk and cream (otherwise the egg yolks will scramble). Return the mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat while stirring until it is 185 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, then cook it until the mixture has thickened and is barely bubbling around the edges of the pot. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it melts into the mixture. Then add the vanilla. Refrigerate the mixture for 4 (or more) hours.

Part 2: Strawberry Sauce

1. Wash and cook the strawberries in a saucepan with ¼ cup of sugar over medium heat for about 15 minutes while stirring.
2. Let cool slightly and blend. If you don’t want strawberry seeds in the ice cream, strain this sauce. Refrigerate the puree for 3 hours.

Part 3: Graham Cracker “Crust”

1. Crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs.
2. Stir in the last ¼ cup of sugar and the melted butter.

Part 4: Churn

Without ice cream maker

Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Fold in the cooled custard mixture until just combined. Freeze for an hour and then thoroughly mix to incorporate frozen chunks. Freeze for another hour and mix again. 

With ice cream maker

Pour the mixture into a chilled ice cream maker and let churn until the mixture resembles soft serve.

Part 5: Assemble

1. Add ½ of the strawberry puree and ½ of the graham cracker crumbs to the top of the ice cream (on opposite sides of the bowl). Give the ice cream 2 large stirs (folds perhaps).
2. Add in the remaining strawberry puree and graham cracker crumbs to the top of the ice cream (again on opposite sides of the bowl). Give the mixture 3 large stirs. Make sure not to mix the ice cream too much or else you will not get nice streaks of strawberry in the ice cream (it will just look like plain strawberry ice cream).
3. Carefully transfer the ice cream into a container (again being careful not to muddy the colors too much).
4. Freeze the ice cream for at least 8 hours and then serve.