This is my Birthday Ice Cream. Most people look forward to birthday cakes or cupcakes, but I’ve never been much of a cake fan. Even growing up, I always requested ice cream cake or strawberry shortcake for my birthday. So this year, I decided to make my dream ice cream for myself for my birthday (a girl can spoil herself once in a while, right?).
Balsamic roasted strawberry ice cream has been has been at the top of my to-do list, so the timing was perfect. This is Birthday Ice Cream not just because it’s a sexy, gourmet flavor combination. It’s Birthday Ice Cream because I made it with premium ingredients, and I ignored ice cream rules to make it exactly how I wanted it.
I bought TWO packages of absurdly expensive Japanese strawberries. I used an entire tablespoon of extra-rich and thick balsamic vinegar that most people would tell you has no business being consumed any way other than sparingly and should never, ever be cooked. I added way too many strawberries to the base and left them in bigger pieces than any ice cream you can buy, so every bite is bursting with sweet strawberry flavor.
I only shared this ice cream with two people: my husband and a friend who just so happened to be around while I was craving a scoop. Our friend said it was the best ice cream he’s ever had, and I need to figure out a way to sell it. So while its origin came as my birthday ice cream, you shouldn’t wait for a special occasion to make it for yourself.
Update: I’ve made many times since that first batch! It’s one of the only ice cream recipes I make over and over again (I love to experiment), it’s THAT GOOD.
There were some leftover strawberries in their syrup from the recipe, so I have been rationing them out all week. I added some of the syrup to sparkling water for a homemade soda treat (Update: I added about 1 teaspoon of this syrup to our Basil Soda recipe and it’s OUTRAGEOUSLY AMAZING), and I spooned the roasted berries over my morning yogurt. For a lazy version of this ice cream, you can top your favorite vanilla or sweet cream ice cream with a spoonful of the berry mixture.
- 14 oz strawberries, hulled and cut into smaller pieces (2-6 pieces, depending on the size of the berry and if you want big chunks of berry in your ice cream)
- 1 tablespoon high-quality balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1.5 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons strawberry balsamic syrup (spooned from the strawberry mixture)
- 1/4 cup roasted balsamic strawberries (and any residual syrup clinging to them)
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Toss the berry pieces and balsamic vinegar together in a roasting pan.
- Roast for 10 minutes. Stir the berries and return to the oven. Roast for another 10-15 minutes, until the berries are soft (but still intact) and the syrup is slightly thickened. Sprinkle the sugar over the berries and stir to combine.
- Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You want the berries to be cold by the time you add them to the ice cream base during churning (though the syrup can still be warm when you make the base mixture).
- Make a slurry by whisking the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl.
- Whisk the cream cheese and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Combine the rest of the milk, the cream, sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 4 minutes at a rolling boil.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Place back on the heat and bring back to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 1-2 minutes, stirring often with a spatula. Remove from the heat.
- Stir the strawberry balsamic syrup into the ice cream base.
- Whisk the milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture 1 cup at a time.
- Refrigerate, covered, until the mixture is cold, 3-4 hours.
- Freeze the ice cream mixture according to your ice cream machine's instructions, adding the strawberries during the last 60 seconds of churning.
- Pour into a storage container and freeze for at least 4 hours before serving.
Mmmmm – can you make this for my birthday too? Roasted balsamic strawberry ice cream has been on my to-do list for oh so long too. But better if you make it for me:) Love!
lol, yes, next birthday! Hmmm, might have to be belated present though, since strawberries are sadly not exactly in season for your big day 🙂