as american as ice cream

I hope you enjoy your holiday weekend and all the gastric delights that abound across the spectrum of Independence Day favorites.  My Fourth of July would not be complete without ice cream.  Though frozen sweet treats have been around since the Persian Empire, ice cream as we know it really appeared in 18th century England and America.  It remained a rare indulgence in England, but became widely available by enterprising Americans during Colonial times.  Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, is a contemporary enterprising American, offering an array of quirky, adventurous flavors.  I instantly fell in love.  There are but few days left to pin my sweet tooth cravings on baby no. 2... (the official due date is the 3rd).  One last ice cream hazzah seems an appropriate way to celebrate the birth of our nation and quite possibly the birth of baby no. 2.  I'll keep you posted.

Jeni graciously shared her recipe for roasted strawberry buttermilk ice cream via Tasting Table.  

Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk Ice Cream
yield: 1 pint

Roasted Strawberries

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced ½-inch thick
⅓ cup sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

Ice Cream Base
1½ cups whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened

⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

1¼ cups heavy cream

⅔ cup sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup¼ cup buttermilk

1. Prepare the strawberries: Preheat the oven to 375°. Combine the strawberries with the sugar in an 8-inch-square glass or ceramic baking dish, stirring gently to mix. Roast for 8 minutes or until just soft and remove from the oven. Let cool slightly. Puree the berries and the lemon juice in a food processor. Measure ½ cup of the pureed berries; refrigerate the rest of the puree for another use.

2. Make the ice cream: Mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

3. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat; boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

4. Gradually add the hot-milk mixture to the cream cheese, whisking until smooth. Add the reserved ½ cup strawberry puree and the buttermilk and blend well. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

5. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister of an ice cream maker and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.