As temperatures rise and summer approaches, many seek seasonal treats, and few are as delightful as homemade ice cream. Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, in her 2002 cookbook Nigella Summer, shared a stunning recipe for cheesecake ice cream, claiming it is simpler than making a traditional cheesecake.
Nigella's Cheesecake Ice Cream
Introducing the recipe, which has since been republished on her website, Lawson wrote: "This started off as something of a culinary conceit: I wanted to recreate the flavour of cheesecake in ice-cream form. I don't claim it's an original idea - I'd once eaten cheesecake ice cream in a restaurant in LA, scooped into a lozenge-shaped ball and served alongside a mini blueberry pie - but striving for originality is frankly a grievous culinary crime."
Lawson recommends folding crushed digestive biscuits into the mixture once it emerges from the ice cream maker but before it fully freezes. Alternatively, the mixture can be left plain and sandwiched between two digestives when serving.
Fan Reviews
On Nigella's website, fans have posted glowing reviews. One declared: "This was one of the best ice creams I've ever had. I urge you all to make it." Another commented: "This came out absolutely beautiful!! It's the first time I've ever made ice cream and with such tasty results, I'll definitely be doing it again." A third added: "This is the best ice cream in the world! It really does taste like cheesecake. Pair it with fresh fruit or a fruit sauce for an incredible after dinner treat. It's also the easiest method for a custard based ice cream that I have ever used. Make this once and you'll never look back!"
Nigella Lawson's Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients (Serves 6-8)
- 175ml of milk
- 200g of caster sugar
- 125g of cream cheese
- 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract
- One large egg
- Juice of half a lemon
- 350ml of double cream
- 50g of crumbled digestive biscuits or a packet of digestive biscuits for sandwiching
Method
Begin by warming the milk in a saucepan. While it heats, whisk together the sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, and egg in a separate bowl. Continue whisking as you pour the hot milk into the cream cheese mix, then transfer everything back into the pan and cook until it transforms into a silky custard.
Lawson advises: "I don't bother with a double boiler, and actually don't even keep the heat very low, but you will need to stir it constantly, and if you think there's any trouble ahead, plunge the pan into a sink half filled with cold water and whisk like mad."
Once the custard has finished cooking, typically around 10 minutes, transfer it to a bowl and leave to cool. Then stir in the lemon juice followed by the double cream, lightly whipped.
Process in an ice cream maker, or alternatively place in a lidded container and pop in the freezer. Take it out every hour for three hours and beat as it freezes, incorporating the crushed digestives, if using, before the ice cream becomes completely solid.
The ice cream tastes best when enjoyed within a week but will keep for up to a month in the freezer.
