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Enjoy a rich creamy cheesecake inspired, roasted cherry ice cream enhanced with mascarpone, goat cheese, lemon and vanilla. This homemade ice cream does not have an overpowering goat cheese flavor, but just enough to tickle the palate. Trust me this is one cheesecake inspired ice cream that you will want extra scoops!
Ingredients for Goat Cheese Ice Cream
- Fresh Cherries
- Fresh dark red cherries are perfect for roasting and folding into ice cream. No extra seasoning required, just remove the pits, slice them in half and roast on a baking sheet to release their amazing juices. Let the cherries cool before folding into your ice cream.
- Chevre Goat Cheese
- Chevre is french for ‘goat’ and used as a term to describe any cheese made from goat’s milk. With a tangy and tart flavor, goat cheese softens when heated and melts nicely into the ice cream base.
- When choosing goat cheese for this cherry ice cream recipe, make sure to grab plain fresh Chevre. It is only aged for a few days, resulting in a milder flavor. It has a soft spreadable consistency and is usually packaged in the shape of a log.
- Mascarpone
- Mascarpone adds a richness to the ice cream with a milk sweetness and buttery flavor. I chose to use Italian mascarpone instead of American cream cheese to create the familiar cheesecake taste. The velvety texture of mascarpone really creates an amazing extra creamy ice cream.
- Milk and Heavy Cream
- Full fat milk and heavy cream are the base to make this delicious cherry cheesecake ice cream. The higher the fat content, the smaller the ice crystals will be. Using this combo creates a familiar ice cream texture instead of an icy sorbet.
Homemade Ice Cream Tips
What Baking Ingredients I Use and Why
Weigh Your Ingredients:
The recipe card includes both metric and US conversions, but since I create all my recipes with metric measurements, I can’t guarantee the same results if you use a different measuring method. This is the kitchen scale I use everyday.
Use a Thermometer:
Using a thermometer is the easiest way to prevent turning your ice cream base into cooked eggs. The custard should read between between 176℉ (76℃) and 180℉ (82℃). To test it, dip a silicone spatula or wooden spoon into the liquid. If it coats the back of the spoon and you can draw a clean line through it with your finger and it doesn’t fill back in, the custard is ready.
Use Whole Milk, Heavy Cream, and Fresh Eggs:
For a delicious custard base ice cream, use high fat quality ingredients. I’m using a 2:1 heavy cream to milk ratio for a thick almost gelato like ice cream.
Goat Cheese and Mascarpone:
Chevre and mascarpone are working to not only add flavor and creaminess to the ice cream but also as stabilizers. Make sure both are at room temperauture before mixing with the ice cream base.
Chill the Ice Cream Base (called “aging”):
Make sure the custard is fully chilled before churning. This “aging” step allows the dairy and egg fats time to bind together, which means you’ll get a richer, creamier ice cream in the end.
Making Homemade Ice Cream Do’s and Don’ts
Ice Cream Making ‘Must DO’s‘
- Cook your custard on medium-low heat and stir continuously. No need to boil or scald the milk, I use a thermometer to check the temperature and let it cook slowly to prevent curdling the eggs.
- Strain the base through a metal sieve to grab any thickened egg.
- Always rest the custard base in the fridge for several hours before churning.
- If your ice cream machine has a middle container that needs to be frozen, put it in the freezer well before making the ice cream. I always freeze mine the night before so its rock solid before churning.
Ice Cream Making Steps’ YOU DON’T NEED‘
- Don’t worry about adding extra steps for tempering the eggs. No need to ladle hot milk into a separate bowl. I cook my beaten eggs slowly in the cream base after adding sugar and constantly whisking. OR you can whisk the eggs and sugar together first, then slowly pour into the warm cream.
- No need to make an ice bath for cooling down the bowl of warm custard. I pour the hot ice cream base through the metal sieve and then let it cool to room temperature. Of course if you want to cool it faster, placing the bowl in another larger bowl of ice and stirring will do the trick.
★★★★★ Please leave a star rating and review below if you make this recipe! THANK YOU!!
Goat Cheese and Roasted Cherry Ice Cream
Equipment
- heavy-bottomed, two-quart pot or saucepan
- metal sieve strainer
Ingredients
- 2 cups dark sweet red cherries, roasted and quartered
- 4 ounces chevre plain goat cheese, room temperature
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 500 grams/ml (2 cups) whole milk
- 250 grams/ml (1 cup) heavy cream
- 74 grams (4 large) egg yolks
- 133 grams (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
Instructions
Prep Cherries
- Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃) line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove pits and stems from cherries. Place halved cherries on baking sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes until soft and juicy. Place pan on wire rack and let cherries cool completely.
- Place cooled cherries in an air tight container in the fridge until ready to use.
Make the Ice Cream Base
- Place a large sized bowl next to the stovetop fitted with a metal sieve.
- Stir together the room temperature goat cheese and mascarpone in a large bowl and set aside.4 ounces chevre plain goat cheese, 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
- Place egg yolks and sugar in a small bowl and hand whisk until thick.74 grams egg yolks
- In a saucepan over medium to medium-low heat, combine the milk, cream, and salt. Whisk slowly and continuously while heating to 113℉ (45°C).500 grams/ml whole milk, 250 grams/ml heavy cream, 133 grams granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Once it reaches 113℉ (45°C), slowly drizzle in the sugar and yolk mixture, whisking continuously. This is an easier way to temper the eggs without adding additional steps.
- Swap to a silicone spatula, and continue to stir until the mixture reads between 176℉ (76℃) and 180℉ (82℃). Any hotter and it will curdle. The liquid should thicken enough to coat the back of the spatula so you can easily draw a line through the coating with your finger.
- Immediately remove pan from heat, and pour the liquid through the metal sieve into the large bowl containing the goat cheese and mascarpone. Continue to whisk until smooth, adding in the lemon zest and vanilla. A quick blitz with a handheld immersion blender will ensure everything is smooth.1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
Rest and Chill
- Let custard cool to room temperature or 50℉ (5℃) occasionally giving it a stir to prevent a skin from forming.
- Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the cooled custard to prevent a skin from forming in the fridge. Set the bowl in the fridge and chill for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
Churn and Freeze
- Remove the ice cream base from the fridge and give it a quick stir. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to the machine's instructions. Most machine's churn for about 30 minutes until the ice cream has thickened to the consistency of soft serve. Add the cherries into the ice cream during the last couple minutes of churning.2 cups dark sweet red cherries
- Transfer soft serve ice cream to a freezer safe container.
- Seal container with an airtight lid or plastic wrap. Place container in the freezer until ice cream is firm, this may take up to 4 hours.
- Place ice cream in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to slightly soften before scooping.
Coffee grains??? When do you incorporate the cherries?
Hi Mary, There are no coffee grains in this recipe 🙂 The cooled cherries are added to the ice cream towards the end of churning. You can also save some to sprinkle on top of the ice cream before the final freeze.