Arlyn Osborne’s Dip Into Queso Ice Cream
In her new cookbook, Sugarcane: Sweet Recipes from My Half-Filipino Kitchen, Arlyn Osborne draws on her Filipino heritage and the years she spent as a professional recipe developer. Her recipes flip American standards—coconut cream pie, chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars—by introducing ravishing flavors from the Philippines: pandan, rambutan, calamansi, ube, or, in this case, cheddar cheese. Wait … cheddar cheese? Says Osborne, “Of all the Philippine desserts that employ cheese (there are quite a few), queso ice cream takes first place for me. It’s as common a flavor as vanilla and chocolate in America.” She advocates for shredding your own cheese (and not buying the bagged stuff); she also suggests sandwiching a scoop of this in a soft, fluffy split pandesal for a Filipino twist on the Italian classic, brioche con gelato.
Queso Ice Cream
Adapted from Sugarcane: Sweet Recipes from My Half-Filipino Kitchen
YIELDS ABOUT 6 CUPS (1.4 L)
INGREDIENTS
5 large egg yolks
1½ cups (360 g) whole milk
1⅓ cups (320 g) heavy cream
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature
3 ounces (85 g) extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
¼ cup (24 g) yellow cheddar cheese powder, such as Anthony’s
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
PREPARATION
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until combined, then set beside the stovetop. In a large saucepan, add the milk, cream, and sugar. Heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until warm and steaming, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat. Gradually whisk the warm milk mixture into the yolks. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the custard coats the back of a spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 180°F (82°C), about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, cheese powder, and vanilla. Whisk until melted and combined. Blend with an immersion blender until completely smooth.
Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or 4-cup (1 l) liquid measuring cup. Cover with plastic wrap so it touches the surface of the custard directly (this will prevent a skin from forming). Refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions; it should have the consistency of soft serve.
Scrape the ice cream into a 9- by 5-inch metal loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.
