Brownie Cheesecake Ice Cream with Strawberry Sauce

At last the wait is over! See that picture over there on the top of the right-hand column? That’s one of my favorite cheesecakes: Brownie Bottom Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce. I basically turned that cheesecake into a very rich and very creamy ice cream sundae using three different recipes from David Lebovitz‘s The Perfect Scoop. I mentioned this book a few weeks ago and although it’s taken me much longer than I had hoped to experiment with it (hey – making ice cream is time consuming), it was well worth the effort.

First I want to share two things I learned about making ice cream from this book and from watching Alton Brown that helped to make a creamier texture.

#1 – Make sure your mixture is refrigerator-cold before throwing it in your ice cream maker. The colder it is when you begin, the faster it will freeze, and the creamier the ice cream will be.

#2 – When the ice cream is ready to come out of the machine, run over to it. Yes, run. And put it into a freezer-safe storage container as quickly as you can. Then run it over to the freezer and put it inside. Don’t touch it until it’s frozen solid. Allowing the ice cream to finish freezing in the freezer will create a smoother, creamier consistency. That’s why, if you’ve noticed, homemade ice cream tends to turn into a block of ice if you dish it out and leave it on the counter for 20 minutes before storing in the freezer. If you HAVE to eat some right away, dish it out fast. You’ll have to run even faster to make it to the freezer before the damage begins.

Because this is three separate recipes, I’m going to post it in three separate posts, beginning with the ice cream. Mmm.

Now, without further adieu . . .

Brownie Cheesecake Ice Cream with Strawberry Sauce
compiled and adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 c sour cream
1/2 c half-and-half
2/3 c sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 batch Chewy-Dense Brownies, cooled, and diced into very small pieces.
1/2 recipe Strawberry Sauce

Cut the cream cheese into small pieces. Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Quickly mix brownie pieces with ice cream and pour all into a freezer-safe storage container. Freeze for several hours or until completely solid. Serve with strawberry sauce.

Makes about 3 cups. (Doubling this and adding the brownies filled a half gallon container.)

Nat’s Notes:
1. When I saw the lemon zest in the recipe, I thought, “Ugh. I don’t want lemon cheesecake.” So I left it out and tasted the mix. Something was missing. So I added a little zest (not the entire lemon as called for in the original recipe, but just a bit). It brightened up the flavors and made all the difference. It doesn’t taste lemony, I promise.
2. I used full-fat sour cream and cream cheese because that’s what I had on hand (and that’s what they sell at Costco). Feel free to experiment with lighter ingredients.

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Desserts - Frozen

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