Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream *

This is no-cook ice cream, which means no tempering eggs, no scalding milk, no straining through a chinois. The cream cheese carries the tang you’d expect from a baked cheesecake, while sweetened condensed milk replaces both sugar and the custard base in one step.

Let the cream cheese soften fully before you start. Cold cream cheese leaves stubborn lumps no mixer will defeat. Twenty minutes on the counter is the minimum.

The almond extract is the secret weapon. Just half a teaspoon plays off the cherries and amplifies their flavor, giving you that classic Italian gelateria taste. Don’t add more or it tips into marzipan territory.

Drain the cherries hard. Excess liquid throws off the base ratio and produces an icy, weepy ice cream instead of a smooth scoop. Pat them dry with paper towels for good measure.

The half-and-half plus heavy cream combo gives a richer mouthfeel than all-cream while still freezing soft enough to scoop straight from the freezer.

Kitchen Tips

• Chill the base in the fridge an hour before churning. A cold base sets faster and produces creamier texture.
• Add the cherries during the last two minutes of churning so they don’t shred into pink streaks.
• Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface in the storage container to prevent ice crystals.
• Pull from the freezer 5 minutes before serving for clean scoops.

Variations

• Swirl in a quarter cup of crushed graham cracker crumbs at the end for a literal cheesecake crust effect.
• Swap cherries for halved strawberries macerated in a tablespoon of sugar.
• Add a tablespoon of bourbon to the base to keep it softer-scooping and add caramel notes.