Roasted Strawberry and Buttermilk Ice Cream

I got this recipe from the Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams book. This is another hit from Miss Jeni...I have got to meet this creative lady at some point.  This is a fresh summer flavor and the buttermilk adds a deliciously creamy texture.

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced in 1/2" slices
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine the strawberries and sugar in a baking dish, stirring gently to mix well.  Roast for 8 minutes, until just soft.  Let the berries cool slightly.  Puree the berries in a food processor with the lemon juice.  Measure 1/2 cup of the puree and keep the rest as an ice cream topping (keeps for ~1 week in the fridge).

Mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch and mix to make a slurry in a small bowl.  Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a separate bowl (the one you plan to store the base in until you make the ice cream).
Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar and corn syrup in a 4-quart sauce pan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat and boil for 4 minutes.  Whisk in the cornstarch slurry.  Bring the mixture to a boil again.  Remove from the heat and whisk into the cream cheese mixture until smooth (and there are no chunks of cream cheese floating around).   Add the strawberry puree and buttermilk, stir in.  Allow the mixture to cool completely in the fridge, for at least 3 hours. 

Add to your ice cream maker and voila!