Ball® Classic Strawberry Jam Cheesecake Custard with Graham Cracker Crumbles
This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.*
The summer season is here, which means the time has come for homemade ice cream and frozen custard! I love making my own frozen custard at home. I never knew how easy it was until last year when we came across an ice cream maker at a thrift shop for $15. I was so excited! I love coming up with new mixtures and trying to recreate my favorite ice cream flavors at home.
As strawberry season is upon us, I thought it would be absolutely delicious to create a Strawberry Cheesecake style custard with Ball® Classic Strawberry Jam. Making strawberry jam is a staple every June for me! That’s when our berries are ripe and ready for picking in Iowa. It’s one of my favorite times of year. We seem to go through strawberry jam the fastest, so I will be making batch after batch of this jam until the berry supply runs out. It fits perfectly into about 8 Ball® Half-Pint Jars.
Ball® Classic Strawberry Jam:
makes about 8 half-pint jars:
5 cups crushed strawberries (about 5 lbs.)
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 Tbsp. Ball® RealFruit™ Classic Pectin
7 cups granulated sugar
directions:
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.
Combine strawberries and lemon juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.
Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary.
Ladle hot jam into a hot jar leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Process jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.
Cheesecake Custard Ingredients & Recipe:
5 large egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp vanilla extract (optional)
8 oz Ball® Classic Strawberry Jam
Graham Cracker Crumble:
4 ounces graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp salted butter, melted
directions:
Make the Graham Cracker Crumble. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until light yellow and fluffy. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Pour about 1/2 cup of warm cream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking immediately until well incorporated. Add the warmed yolks into the pot of simmering cream, whisking as you pour. Add the cream cheese.
Continue to whisk until everything is smooth, bringing the custard to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until thickened and the custard can coat the back of a spoon, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla, if using.
Pour the custard into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, touching the surface of the custard with the plastic to prevent it from forming a thick skin. Refrigerate until fully chilled, about 12 hours or overnight.
When chilled, churn the custard in an ice cream maker until thick, about 20 minutes.
Working in layers, scoop the churned custard, Ball® Classic Strawberry Jam, and graham cracker crumble into a loaf pan. Swirl with a spoon or butter knife. Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours before scooping and serving topped with more jam!
Do you love strawberry jam? I hope that you enjoy these recipes. While I love jam on toast, it is always fun to find new ways to incorporate our homemade preserves into other types of recipes.
xoxo Kayla
Shop Ball® Half-Pint Jars here.
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.
