December 19-20, 2009: Ginger-lime cheesecake icecream

We shared our first tofurkey meal with my mum and her sister Carol, and I followed it up with this icecream. The source of my inspiration was a cheesecake icecream recipe from Mitch's Ice Cream Sunday - the custard replaces some of the milk and cream with cream cheese and a bit of lemon juice, and then crumbled up digestive biscuits are swirled through the icecream.

This reminded me of the packet of gingersnaps that had been taking up space in the pantry for too long. They're very hard on the teeth, perhaps meant for dunking in a hot drink, and experience has taught me that crunchy biscuits also fare well in icecream. To match the ginger I thought I'd swap the cheesecake's lemon juice for lime.

While the idea of ginger-lime cheesecake icecream seems a little convoluted, the result is straight-up delicious. The gingersnaps have a gentler texture but still hold their own against the tangy icecream. It's sweet and creamy without being devastatingly rich. For a special occasion, I'd love to press a gingersnap crust into my springform tin and pour the lime-spiked icecream over the top, as a frozen but fully formed ginger-lime iced cheesecake.

Ginger-lime cheesecake icecream
(inspired by the cheesecake icecream at Mitch's Ice Cream Sunday)

125g cream cheese
200g sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
200mL milk
300mL cream
zest and juice of 2 limes
100g gingersnaps, broken into pieces

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla. In a medium-sized saucepan, gently heat the milk, then beat it into the cream cheese mixture. Transfer it all back into the saucepan, heating and stirring until it has thickened slightly. Whisk in the cream and lime juice and zest. Chill the mixture thoroughly.

Once the mixture is very cold, strain it and churn it in the icecream maker. During the last 5-10 minutes of churning, gradually add the gingersnap pieces. Freeze the icecream for at least 4 hours before scooping and serving.