ICOTW: Raspberry Crisp Ice Cream

Oh man, this ice cream.  This is the 17th ice cream post I've done and, hands down, my absolute favorite of the bunch.  Like many, many things I post about, this is one of those I pinned a long time ago and just finally got around to doing.  I'm really glad I finally did make it, my life was previously lacking the best ice cream I've ever made in my life.  It's that good.   It has super creamy, rich ice cream, layered with slightly cooked raspberries (to bring out the flavor) and a crunchy crisp topping, which I've found myself snacking on plain.  I took these pictures a few hours before our normal ice cream eating time which means I dumped the serving back in the container for later.  And then licked out my ice cream bowl.  Cannot let even one drip of this go to waste. 

This was a little more involved than most ice creams I've made but not hard by any means.   I would recommend giving yourself a little time to make this.  I had done the raspberry and crisp topping a day ahead of time but then decided to start the ice cream about an hour before we planned to leave for the lake.  I just put my ice cream base in the freezer a few hours before that.  That was not enough time.  It worked, the ice cream is amazing, but added more stress to my life than it needed.  So give yourself more than an hour when you are not running around doing 1000 other things.  And then enjoy your ice cream!

Raspberry Crisp Ice Cream
yield: 8-10 servings?  We're still working through it!
Ingredients
For the crisp topping:
8TB cold butter, cut into small pieces
¾ cup flour
¼ cup plus 2TB packed brown sugar
¼ tsp kosher salt
dash of cinnamon
¾ cup old-fashioned oats

For the raspberries:
2 cups fresh raspberry, washed and drained
2TB sugar

For the ice cream:
2 cups whole milk, divided
1TB plus 1tsp cornstarch
3TB cream cheese, softened
pinch of kosher salt
1¼ cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2TB light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, split

Directions
1) To make the crisp topping, preheat the oven to 350°.  In a medium bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.  Use a pastry blender or two forks to mix in the butter chunks.  When the mixture is crumbly, stir in the oats and mix well.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and spread the crisp in an even layer, breaking up large chunks.  Bake, stirring every ~7 minutes, until it is brown and crisp, about 25-30 minutes.  Let cool and then freeze until ready to use.

2) For the raspberries (you can substitute other berries), preheat the oven to 450°.  Combine in the raspberries and sugar in a small bowl and then spread on a lined cookie sheet.  Roast for about 8 minutes, or until juicy.  Remove and let cool.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

3) To make the ice cream, combine 2TB of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and salt until smooth.  Set aside. Combine the remaining milk (1¾ cups plus 2TB), cream, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in the cornstarch/milk.  Return to heat and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

4) Pour this hot mixture in the medium bowl with the cream cheese and salt, whisking until smooth.  Refrigerate until cool (DO THIS! Takes longer than 20 minutes!).

5) Once chilled, remove the vanilla pod and churn according to instructions.  Layer this finished ice cream in a freezer-safe container with all the raspberries and about half the crisp topping.  (Save the rest as a topping for each serving, you won't be sorry.)  Freeze until firm. (I have to let ours sit at room temp for about 15 minutes before serving.)

Our Thoughts
I am not joking when I say this is some of the best ice cream I've ever had.  It deserves that high of praise.  We've been eating this in the evening/nights while (slowly) watching American Ninja Warrior and I look forward to it all night.  The ice cream is super creamy and goes so well with the tart raspberries and crunchy crisp.  Seriously a perfect dessert.  I am already mourning the end of what we have made.

 

Source: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home via Annie's Eats


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In the summer I aim to make a different homemade ice cream each week and report back here, good or bad!  I call it "Ice Cream of the Week".  You can follow the "ICOTW" tag to see them all chronologically or go to my "Recipes" page and scroll down to the "Ice Cream/Frozen Things" section for my favorites!