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Home/Desserts/Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice Cream

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice Cream

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Lime Jam Ice Cream 10I can still remember the first time I made ice cream. I was 12 and Dad had just bought an ice cream machine for our summer cabin on the Olympic Peninsula. You know, the kind that requires ice, rock salt, muscle, and stamina. It was a novelty to own an ice cream machine in those days, and it became the star attraction at just about every summer gathering we hosted or attended. And I was the designated Head Churner.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamSo it was probably inevitable that I would become an ice cream pusher. Over the years, I extolled the virtues of “classic” homemade ice cream to hundreds of culinary students. And in the process, I abandoned the hand crank machine and purchased a couple of these babies.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamYet, I’ve only written about homemade ice cream twice on LunaCafe. Mea culpa! Check out incomparable Sweet Corn & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and dreamy Strawberry Basil Sour Cream Gelato. Both are examples of classic ice cream technique.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamIn the classic technique, the ice cream base is essentially an egg yolk custard. Egg yolk proteins bind liquid when heated, coagulating into a custard. We all know what this looks and tastes like.

There’s no doubt that the custard technique makes spectacular ice cream. It has been my favorite ice cream for decades. It’s smooth and creamy with a lovely, lush flavor.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamBut this technique presents issues for the home cook. To begin with, there’s the somewhat tricky process of making perfect custard. It likes to curdle. Then there’s the rock hard ice cream that’s difficult to scoop. And perhaps most disconcerting of all, there’s the fact that homemade ice cream is best eaten within 24 hours. After that time it tends to become gummy and icy.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamEnter Jeni Bauer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Her ice cream technique is bizarro. And the ice creams resulting from this technique are, well, spectacular.

From Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home:

“Ice cream is a frozen emulsion of water, butterfat (the concentrated fat in milk), proteins (whey and casein), sugars, (sucrose, glucose, lactose, and others), starch (thickener), air, and flavors. The balance of all these ingredients, on a molecular level, determines the flavor, texture, consistency, and finish of the ice cream. Other additions (fruit, chocolate, alcohol, etc.) can disrupt the balance. In addition, if the proportions of water, proteins, and fat are out of balance, it can make the ice cream feel too cold or too warm on the palate. Understanding the interplay of these ingredients on a molecular level is what ice cream making is all about.”

The book explains in some detail (courtesy of Penn State’s Ice Cream Short Course) the scientific interplay of key elements—water, butterfat, protein, sugar, starch, and air. We have one ultimate goal when making ice cream: to bind the water molecules in the milk.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamWe accomplish this with essential proteins (milk), helped with heat (sheds outer coating), evaporation (concentrates proteins), and acid (cream cheese). Plus sugar, glucose (light corn syrup), and starch (cornstarch).

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamBottom line? Forget the egg yolks. In almost every Jeni Bauer ice cream recipe, you’ll find milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, cornstarch, and cream cheese working together to bind water.

Milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup are simmered for 4 minutes to denature milk and reduce water content. A cornstarch slurry is added and simmered for 1 minute to thicken the sauce. Cream cheese is stirred in to acidify the base. That’s it.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamWith this simple methodology, your ice creams will soar to new heights. I’ve created a dozen or more ice creams using this approach, and I’m now a huge fan. The texture is divine and the keeping quality unsurpassed. I don’t even miss the egg yolks.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamPeanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice Cream

Peanut butter is one of those flavors that almost everyone loves. It’s even more magical with homemade strawberry jam.

Technique Note   I’m using Jeni Bauer’s easy ice cream technique here, which is a tremendous boon to home cooks with non-commercial ice cream makers.

Timing Note   Remember that it takes at least 12 hours for the freezer bowl of an ice cream maker to solidly freeze. And that the ice cream base should be refrigerated for at least 4 hours (overnight is even better) before churning. It’s also best to make the strawberry jam ahead so that it’s well chilled. Thus, although easy to make, homemade ice cream is not a last minute dessert.

Equipment Note   I use the electric Cuisinart Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker (ICE-30BC series).  It works best—freezing the ice cream base within 25-30 minutes to a soft-serve consistency–with a maximum of 4 cups of ice cream base. Batches larger than this tend not to set sufficiently.

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Lime Jam Ice CreamStrawberry Lime Jam

1 pound fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed and sliced (3 cups stemmed and sliced) ¼ cup superfine sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Cornstarch Slurry
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons whole milk

Peanut Butter & Cream Cheese
½ cup natural peanut butter (roasted nuts and salt only)
2 tablespoons cream cheese, cool room temperature

Milk Infusion
2 cups whole milk
4-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

  1. To prepare Strawberry Lime Jam, in a small saucepan, add strawberries, ¼ cup sugar, and lime juice. Stir to combine and let macerate for 15 minutes. Put pan over medium-low heat, cover partially, and cook gently for 8-10 minutes, until strawberries are fully tender and juices are thickened somewhat. Let cool completely
  2. In a processor or blender, coarsely chop strawberries. You want visible bits of strawberry, so don’t puree completely. Reserve, covered, the fridge.
  3. To prepare ice cream base, in a small bowl, whisk cornstarch into 2 tablespoons milk. Reserve.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth. Reserve.
  5. To prepare milk infusion, put 2 cups milk and vanilla bean together in a large saucepan and slowly bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove the bean, dry thoroughly, and save for another use.
  6. To milk infusion, add cream, sugar, corn syrup, and salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 4 minutes to reduce water content, remove from heat, and whisk in cornstarch slurry. Return to the heat and simmer for 1 minute, until cornstarch activates and sauce thickens.
  7. Remove pan from heat and gradually whisk peanut butter-cream cheese mixture into hot sauce.
  8. Cool somewhat, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
  9. Using an ice cream maker, churn ice cream, according to the manufacturer’s directions, until fully set. (Using this 2-qaurt ice cream machine, I had fully set ice cream in 20 minutes.)
  10. Scoop ice cream into a freezer container, layering it with Strawberry Lime Jam. Don’t worry that the two aren’t fully integrated; that will happen naturally when you scoop it.
  11. Seal and freeze until firm. Serve within a week or so.

Makes about 1 quart.

Peanut Butter Bash

This post is part of the monthly Peanut Butter Bash party. The first Thursday of the month, each member of the Peanut Butter Bash gang post a dessert featuring peanut butter and a mystery ingredient.  For March 2015, it’s peanut butter plus jelly or jam. To see what these other great cooks created on this theme, click here: An InLinkz Link-up.

Check out the Peanut Butter Bash Facebook Group and the Peanut Butter Bash Page for more information. The hashtag is #peanutbutterbash.

More LunaCafe Ice Cream & Gelato Recipes

  • Blueberry Lemon Verbena Spritzer with Candied Ginger Ice Cream
  • Fried Banana Split with Mexican Chocolate Sauce & Strawberry Lime Salsa
  • Strawberry Basil Sour Cream Gelato
  • Sweet Corn & Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Cookin’ with Gas (inspiration from around the web)

  • Ice Cream Short Course | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences

Written by:
Susan S. Bradley
Published on:
March 5, 2015

Categories: Desserts, Fourth of July, Ice Cream, Peanut Butter, Spring & Summer Desserts, StrawberriesTags: gelato, ice cream, peanut butter, Strawberries

About Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rebecca

    March 8, 2015 at 9:26 am

    What a great mix of flavors, I bet the lime really pops!

  2. Kellie

    March 6, 2015 at 5:30 pm

    I love this flavor combination. I see this in an ice cream sandwich….very soon! 🙂

  3. Alana

    March 6, 2015 at 2:58 pm

    Never made ice cream using this technique before. Can’t wait to try it!

  4. Alana

    March 6, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    This looks amazing! I’ve never made ice cream this way, can’t wait to try it out!

  5. Dorothy ShockinglyDelicious

    March 6, 2015 at 2:39 pm

    Man that’s an interesting technique! I am going to have to break down and try it. I have that book and have never cooked out of it. You have talked me into it!

  6. Lori Vachon

    March 6, 2015 at 9:38 am

    Can I just say this is awesome? And I love love love that you did not use eggs! I have a huge egg aversion, but a huge love of peanut butter, jam & ice cream! Pinning!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      March 6, 2015 at 9:55 am

      Lori, thank you! Now that you mention it, this approach to ice cream should be a boon to folks who either dislike or don’t/can’t eat eggs. And it’s NOT a second-best approach either. The resulting ice cream is seriously good. The technique can be adapted to any flavor or flavor pairing you can imagine. So much fun. 🙂

  7. Miranda

    March 6, 2015 at 7:17 am

    Oh yum! This is my kind of ice cream! Look at that beautiful swirl of jam! I remember my friend’s family had an old time ice cream maker. You really had to work for that homemade ice cream!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      March 6, 2015 at 8:24 am

      Miranda, thank you! Really enjoying the Peanut Butter Bash group. And even though I love my electric ice cream machine, I sometimes wish I had the old-fashioned ice-and-salt machine too. It really sets the mood and anticipation for ice cream at a group gathering. Plus at a gathering, everyone can help with the churning.

  8. Pam

    March 6, 2015 at 5:16 am

    Great technique and I love your ice cream bowls!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      March 6, 2015 at 8:28 am

      Pam, thank you! I had to dash back to the post to recall which bowl I used. 🙂 I collect photo props everywhere I go. I found that one in Scottsdale one winter. They have some seriously good ice cream in The Valley of the Sun. 🙂

  9. Alice

    March 5, 2015 at 10:03 pm

    This is such an interesting mix of flavors! 🙂 I love the jammy ribbons!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      March 6, 2015 at 8:30 am

      Alice, thanks so much! 🙂 Peanut butter ice cream is so rich on its own. The homemade strawberry jam enlivens it with bursts of tart fruit. It’s a dynamite flavor pairing.

  10. Laura

    March 5, 2015 at 9:22 pm

    Being from Ohio (and my family being in Columbus) I have been eating Jeni’s for years and I had no idea her ice cream had no eggs. I did know that her process was different, but am still impressed–and extra impressed you took the time to learn. Of course living where you cannot get much Jeni’s probably has something to do with that. 😉 Seriously your ice cream looks amazing. I love the flavors and how beautifully bright the strawberries are!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      March 6, 2015 at 8:40 am

      Laura, to be honest, I was aghast when I first read her cookbook. I mean seriously, cornstarch, corn syrup, and cream cheese in homemade ice cream? Plus, no egg yolks? The purist (and snob) in me was appalled. But curiosity and her large following of ice cream lovers won me over, and I tried her concept. ZOW! The texture is intriguing (almost chewy), and I love that I can scoop it straight from the freezer. It’s also lower in fat (no egg yolks and less cream). It’s actually gelato in that respect. I’m not saying that I’ll never make an egg yolk-based ice cream again, but I do want to explore Jeni’s technique further. And yes, I’m jealous that you get to eat Jeni’s ice cream all the time. But we do have Salt & Straw and Ruby Jewel’s in Portland. 🙂

  11. Sheena

    March 5, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    What a great flavor combination, I bet it tastes fabulous!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      March 6, 2015 at 8:48 am

      Sheena, thanks!

  12. Susan

    March 5, 2015 at 10:35 am

    You’ve got me salivating! Thanks for the recommendation of Jeni Bauer’s book – I’ve ordered it this morning!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      March 6, 2015 at 9:00 am

      Susan, you’re going to love that book! 🙂

  13. Stephanie

    March 5, 2015 at 10:25 am

    I love how looks when you mix in the jam. I bet it tastes just heavenly!

    • Susan S. Bradley

      March 6, 2015 at 9:04 am

      Stephanie, I had to learn the hard way how to get the jam into the ice cream WITHOUT making a muddy mess of it. On my first test, I drizzled it into the churning ice cream near the end. Yikes! It didn’t stay separate and looked awful. So layering is definitely the way to go. The two elements entwine when you scoop the ice cream. Pretty cool actually. 🙂

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