Cheesecake Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

•      1 cup sugar

•      1 8 - ounce package cream cheese, softened

•      1 large egg

•      1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract

•      3⁄4 cup milk

•      2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon zest

•      1 1⁄2 cups heavy cream

In a bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth and creamy; beat in the egg and vanilla; set aside.

Bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; slowly beat the hot milk into the cheese mixture.

Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.

Stir constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until the custard thickens slightly (don’t let the mixture boil or the egg will scramble).

Remove pan from heat and pour the hot custard through a strainer into a large clean bowl.

Let the custard cool slightly, then stir in the lemon zest and cream.

Cover and refrigerate until cold or overnight.

Stir the chilled custard; freeze in 1 or 2 batches in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions, adding the crumbled graham crackers to the machine when the ice cream is semi frozen; allow the machine to mix in the crackers.

When finished, the ice cream will be soft but ready to eat.

For firmer ice cream, transfer mixture to a freezer-safe container and freeze several hours