Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

The original recipe for this came from Cafe Johnsonia. I modified it a little bit but the credit for this luscious summer treat should, of course, go to her.

Ice cream base...
2 cups heavy cream
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

Raspberry swirl...
2 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup sugar

1. Mix softened cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together until well blended. Add lemon juice and vanilla.

2. Slowly add cream and beat until it's thick (not thick like whipped cream, but just short of it).

3. Pour thickened mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer directions (about 20 minutes).

4. Wash raspberries and pat dry. Toss with 1/4 cup sugar and allow to sit in the fridge until the berries start to break down and release their juices.

5. Try not to eat these scrumptious little sugared berries.

6. When the ice cream is done mixing, it should look like soft serve and start climbing the sides of the mixer. Scrape it into a freezer-safe dish.

7. Drop berries and all the juice by dollops onto the ice cream. With a spoon or spatula, swirl into ice cream (don't stir to much). Cover tightly and allow to harden in freezer (at least 2 hours).

The ice cream was so smooth and silky - it rivaled the most expensive store-bought ice cream I've ever had. The berries were so fresh and so tart and complimented the cheesecake taste perfectly. I had some extra cream and I made a larger batch than the recipe called for. However, next time I'm sticking with the instructions as written because it diluted the cheesecake taste a little too much. I think I will add more raspberries too! I think the real danger here (aside from the danger to your waistline) is that no ice cream that you can buy will taste as good as the stuff you can make. So if you're ready to spoil yourself, here's a great place to start.