Cordon Rose Cheesecake Ice Cream
Makes: About 1 quart/1 liter
Anyone who loves this cheesecake from The Cake Bible will be as overjoyed as I am that after 30 years I have successfully turned it into an ice cream. The cake batter is so delicious I could never resist saving out a little to eat plain. Years ago I tried to turn it into an ice cream but it was terribly icy. But with my new understanding of the ingredients and methods for making ice cream, I decided to revisit it.
This ice cream tastes just like the cheesecake, and has an extraordinarily dense, silky, and creamy consistency. It can be enhanced further with Sour Cherry Topping, fresh macerated strawberries, or Apricot Purée, either laced through it or drizzled on top.
Ice Cream Base
| cream cheese, preferably Philadelphia brand | 200 grams | ¾ cup |
| cornstarch | 9 grams | 1 tablespoon |
| heavy cream | 261 grams | 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (267 ml), divided |
| sugar | 150 grams | ¾ cup |
| glucose or reduced corn syrup | 53 grams | 2½ tablespoons (37.5 ml) |
| fine sea salt | . | a pinch |
| 4 (to 6) large egg yolks | 74 grams | ¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons (69 ml) |
| sour cream | 363 grams | 1½ cups |
| pure vanilla extract | . | 1 teaspoon (5 ml) |
| lemon oil, preferably Boyajian (see Scoops) | . | ⅛ teaspoon |
* Cut the cream cheese into pieces (about 1 inch), and allow it to soften at room temperature (65° to 75°F/18° to 24°C) while mixing the rest of the base.
* Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl.
* Prepare an ice water bath (see instructions).
1) In a custard cup or small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 29 grams/2 tablespoons/30 ml of the cream until smooth. (Add the cream slowly as you mix it in.) Cover with plastic wrap.
2) In a medium saucepan, with a silicone spatula, stir together the remaining cream (232 grams/1 cup/237 ml), the sugar, glucose, and salt until well blended.
3) In a medium bowl, place the egg yolks and whisk them lightly. Set it near the cooktop.
4) Over medium heat, bring the cream and sugar mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and cook at a slow boil, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes to evaporate some of the water in the mixture. Remove the pan from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes (to about 180°F/82°C).
5) Stir the cornstarch mixture to make sure it is smooth and then whisk it into the hot mixture. Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to a slow boil. Cook for 1 minute, whisking gently. It will thicken slightly.
6) Remove the cornstarch mixture from the heat and gradually whisk about ½ cup/118 ml of the mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. Then use a whisk to stir the egg yolk mixture back into the pot. Check the temperature. If an instant-read thermometer reads at least 170°F/77°C, there is no need to heat it further. If it is lower, heat the mixture on low, stirring constantly, until thickened a little further. When a finger is run across the back of the spatula, it will leave a well-defined track. An instant-read thermometer should read 170° to 180°F/77° to 82°C.
7) Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened mixture that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Press it through the strainer into the bowl and scrape any mixture clinging to the underside into the bowl. Remove the residue and set the strainer over the medium bowl used for the egg yolks, for the second straining.
8) Set the bowl containing the custard mixture in the ice water bath and allow it to cool until no longer warm to the touch, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon oil. It will be mostly smooth, but the cream cheese will be slightly lumpy.
9) Scrape the mixture into a food processor and process until as smooth as possible, then press it through the strainer again.
10) Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or until no warmer than 43°F/6°C. (Alternatively, continue cooling it in the ice water bath.) Set a covered storage container in the freezer.
11) Churn the cheesecake custard in a prechilled ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream, cover the container, and allow the ice cream to firm in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.
Store
Covered storage container: frozen, 3 days
Scoops
* Lemon oil is made from the oil residing in the zest of lemons. It is different from lemon extract and has a much more pure and powerful flavor. Alternatively, use about 6 grams/1 tablespoon of grated lemon zest (from 1 or 2 lemons, scrubbed with liquid detergent first, then rinsed and dried). Add it to the base in Step 9 after processing but before chilling it. It will infuse into the base and be strained out after chilling.