Makes 1 generous quart/1.2 L ice cream
THIS RECIPE IS INSPIRED BY TWO OF OHIO’S FINEST—GRAETER’S ICONIC ICE CREAM flavor, and ice cream queen Jeni Britton Bauer, who has taken over the world with her company Jeni’s Ice Creams and her mad scientist approach to the craft of making ice cream. Jeni’s clever technique of adding a chunk of cream cheese to ice cream bases emulsifies the mixture without eggs, adds richness, and tempers sweetness. I especially love to use her trick for ice creams with a lot of fruit purée in them, like this one, because it keeps the texture scoopable and velvety, never icy.
Black raspberries—or blackcaps, as they’re affectionately known—are among some of the most delicious, fragile, and fleeting fruits on earth. If I had to describe them, I suppose the most obvious way would be a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry, but they’re more mysterious, more primitive in flavor, with juice so intensely colored that it’s a little alarming.
They grow wild in spots in the Midwest—I let out an Oprah-esque “black raaaaaspbeeeeriiiieeesss!” when I discovered some long-neglected brambles in my own backyard—and only appear for about three weeks in July. When ours finally come in, I immediately start a freezer stash, picking just a couple of handfuls a day before the birds can get to them. I’ll often supplement the haul with a trip to a U-pick berry farm in the same time frame. The hoarding is worth it when you get to make this ice cream.
4 cups/450 g fresh or frozen black raspberries, thawed if frozen
1½ cups/360 g heavy whipping cream
1½ cups/337 g whole milk
1 cup/200 g granulated sugar
3 tablespoons/63 g light corn syrup
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 ounces/85 g full-fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 ounces/113 g bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), melted
In a food processor or blender, purée the berries. Pour and firmly press through a sieve into a measuring cup—you should have about 1⅓ cups/300 g of purée.
In a 3- to 4-quart/2.8 to 3.75 L saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar in dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Place the cream cheese and the cornstarch in 2 separate bowls. Ladle ¼ cup/57 g of the hot milk mixture into each bowl. Whisk both mixtures until smooth. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and return it to medium heat. Bring to a low boil until slightly thickened, and cook for 2 minutes, whisking often. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cream cheese mixture. Pour in the black raspberry purée and whisk to blend. Add lemon juice to taste, just enough to really make it sing. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
Cover the bowl and chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, at least 4 hours or overnight. Freeze in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
While the ice cream is churning, line baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the melted chocolate into a rough 7 × 9-inch/18 × 23 cm rectangle. Freeze until set, about 10 minutes. Chop the chocolate into small bits. When the ice cream has finished churning, fold in the chocolate bits. Transfer the ice cream to a container with a tight-fitting lid and freeze until firm.