Have y’all ever been to a Jeni’s Ice Cream? If you haven't, you’re missing out. The franchise started in Ohio, but they have locations all over the Midwest and Southeast (and even California now according to the website!). We discovered Jeni’s a few years back while living in Nashville, where the ice cream shop has a cult following. It doesn’t matter if it’s 90° F and sunny or 35° F and snowy, you could always spot any Jeni’s location because of the line snaking out of the front door and down the sidewalk. They have a whole bunch of unique flavors that change seasonally, but my absolute favorite was a Goat Cheese and Red Cherries Ice Cream that only made it’s appearance in late Spring/early Summer. Usually, around mid-May, I would start seeking out Jeni’s trips to see if this perfect flavor had made it’s appearance on the board yet and get as much as I could before it disappeared at the end of cherry season. For all of the times that I went with high hopes of finding the goat cheese ice cream only to find it’s space on the flavor board empty, there was Brambleberry Crisp. Ribbons of dark, juicy berries, swirled with cobbler chunks, and although it wasn’t the goat cheese and red cherries, it made a pretty great second choice.

This ice cream is a mash-up of these two favorites. The tangy goat cheese gives almost a cheesecake flavor to the ice cream base, while bright summer raspberries are roasted until they are dark fuchsia and stirred in with chunks of crumble topping. The best part is that this ice cream can be made with or without an ice cream maker. Like all of my ice cream recipes here on the blog, it’s a creme anglaise base that gets chilled, whipped, and frozen—no churning necessary. But, if you’re one of the blessed few who has an ice cream maker at home, the base can be added to your machine and churned following the instructions on your ice cream maker. It’s a perfect summer treat for those of us without a Jeni’s around the corner.

Goat Cheese and Roasted Raspberry Crumble Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart ice cream

Ingredients: 

for the ice cream base

2 cups (460 g) heavy cream

3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 egg yolks

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2.5 oz goat cheese

for the roasted raspberries

10 oz raspberries

2 T granulated sugar

for the crumble 

1/4 cup (35 g) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (50 g) rolled oats

3 T (40 g) brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp kosher salt

4 T (57 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Procedure: 

to make the ice cream: 

1. In a medium saucepan, heat cream over medium-low heat until it is beginning to bubble around the edges of the pan and is hot to the touch. 

2. While the cream is heating, whisk together salt, vanilla, egg yolks, and sugar in a large bowl. When the cream is hot, slowly stream it into the egg mixture, whisking continually the whole time. Transfer the entire mixture back into the saucepan and return to heat. 

3. Cook, stirring continually with a wooden spoon, over low-medium heat until anglaise sauce is thickened, but do not bring to a boil. You can test if the sauce is ready by wiping your finger through the sauce along the back of the wooden spoon. If the line your finger creates holds, the sauce is ready. If it drips, continue cooking. 

4. When the sauce is sufficiently thickened, strain into a large mixing bowl, whisk in goat cheese until melted and combined, cover, and refrigerate.

5. Whipping and chilling: When the anglaise sauce is cold, transfer to a mixer and begin whipping. Whip until soft peaks form and then return to the refrigerator.  

to make the roasted raspberries:

1. Combine raspberries and granulated sugar in a cast-iron skillet or glass baking dish. Bake at 400° F for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, gently stir raspberries and continue baking for another 10-15 until bubbly and softened. Set aside to cool.

to make the crumble: 

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. 

3. Add cold butter to flour mixture and mix on medium speed until butter is evenly distributed and completely incorporated. (If making ahead of time, the crumble mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.)

4. Press crumble mixture in an even-layered disc or rectangle on your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown on the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on the pan and then use your hands to break up into chunks. 

to assemble ice cream: 

1. After whipping the creme anglaise to soft peaks, use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the cooled roasted raspberries and sprinkle in the crumble mixture. (Make sure to mix only until everything is evenly distributed, but that ribbons and streaks of raspberry remain.)

2. Spread ice cream in an 8x8 pan or a loaf pan, cover the dish with plastic wrap and freeze overnight (8-12 hours). 

more recipes like this