Ice Cream

Roasted Red Pepper Basil Ice Cream

Note: base recipe thanks to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

ROASTED RED PEPPERS

• 3 red peppers
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

ICE CREAM BASE

• 1.5 cups whole milk (Snowville if you can get it)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 1.25 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• large handful basil leaves, torn in half

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Chop the red peppers in roughly half inch squares and mix with 1/3 c. sugar. Place in glass baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly soft and fragrant. Let cool slightly. Puree peppers in food processor with the lemon juice. Set aside 1/2 cup of the puree for the ice cream and refrigerate the remainder for another use (topping or filling for ice cream sandwiches).
2. In a small bowl, add the cornstarch and two tablespoons of the milk. At this point, don't bother mixing them, they'll separate again by the time you need them anyway. In a large bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt. Fill a large bowl with ice and water (mostly ice).
3. Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar and corn syrup in a larger saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often (and watching...we've boiled over this mixture far too often). Boil for 4 minutes. Turn off the heat, whisk the cornstarch mixture together and then whisk it into the hot milk mixture. Turn the heat back on and boil for 1 minute until slightly thickened. Stir a lot at this point. We like using a heatproof rubber scraper/spatula. Turn off heat.
4. Add about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture to the cream cheese bowl and whisk until the cream cheese is no longer visible. Add the rest of the hot milk mixture and continue whisking. Add the 1/2 cup roasted red pepper puree and buttermilk while whisking. In a gallon size ziploc bag, add the basil and carefully pour in the liquid mixture (this is a lot easier with 2 people--one person the designated holder of the ziploc and the other the pourer). Submerge in ice bath and let it cool for 30 minutes or so.
5. Strain out the basil (or pick out, as we have had to do...trust us, it may be annoying because the mixture is really thick, but it is most assuredly worth it). Turn on the ice cream maker and pour in the mixture. Spin until the ice cream pulls away from the edge and makes the motor tired (about 30 minutes). Decant into containers, covering the top of the ice cream with parchment paper. Put in freezer. Enjoy in about 4 hours.

Mint Julep Ice Cream

Note: base recipe thanks to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1.5 ounces cream cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1.25 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• large handful mint leaves

1. Using a pestle, muddle mint leaves in glass container (mason jar works well), then add the bourbon.
2. In a small bowl, add the cornstarch and two tablespoons of the milk. At this point, don't bother mixing them, they'll separate again by the time you need them anyway. In a large bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt. Fill a large bowl with ice and water (mostly ice).
3. Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar and corn syrup in a larger saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often (and watching...we've boiled over this mixture far too often). Boil for 4 minutes. Turn off the heat, whisk the cornstarch mixture together and then whisk it into the hot milk mixture. Turn the heat back on and boil for 1 minute until slightly thickened. Stir a lot at this point. We like using a heatproof rubber scraper/spatula. Turn off heat.
4. Add about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture to the cream cheese bowl and whisk until the cream cheese is no longer visible. Add the rest of the hot milk mixture and continue whisking. In a gallon size ziploc bag, carefully pour in the liquid mixture (this is a lot easier with 2 people--one person the designated holder of the ziploc and the other the pourer). Add the mint/bourbon mixture. Seal bag and submerge in ice bath and let it cool for 30 minutes or so.
5. Strain out the mint. Turn on the ice cream maker and pour in the mixture. Spin until the ice cream pulls away from the edge and makes the motor tired (about 30 minutes). Decant into containers, covering the top of the ice cream with parchment paper. Put in freezer. Enjoy in about 4 hours. Or when you are no longer able to resist the clarion call of the Mint Julep Ice Cream.