Cheesecake Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon zest or fresh orange zest
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 graham crackers, crumbled

Directions

1. 1

   In a bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth and creamy; beat in the egg and vanilla; set aside.

2. 2

   Bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; slowly beat the hot milk into the cheese mixture.

3. 3

   Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.

4. 4

   Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly (don’t let the mixture boil or the egg will scramble).

5. 5

   Remove pan from heat and pour the hot custard through a strainer into a large clean bowl.

6. 6

   Let the custard cool slightly, then stir in the lemon zest and cream.

7. 7

   Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.

8. 8

   Stir the chilled custard; freeze in 1 or 2 batches in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions, adding the crumbled graham crackers to the machine when the ice cream is semifrozen; allow the machine to mix in the crackers.

9. 9

   When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat.

10. 10

    For firmer ice cream, transfer mixture to a freezer-safe container and freeze several hours.

11. 11

    *White Chocolate Cheesecake Ice Cream: omit the lemon zest; add ½ cup melted white chocolate to the custard along with the vanilla; proceed as directed.

12. 12

    *Oreo Cheesecake Ice Cream: omit the lemon zest; substitute crumbled oreos for the graham crackers; proceed as directed.