Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Fresh Strawberries

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus light
• 5 teaspoons cornstarch 
• 1 cup half-and-half 
• 0.3 cup heavy cream 
• 0.1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup strawberries quartered
• 0.3 cup sugar 
• 0.7 cup sugar 
• 4 inch vanilla pod split
• 2 cups milk whole divided

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• whisk
• wax paper

Directions

1. Combine 2 tablespoons milk and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.
2. Combine cream cheese and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.
3. Combine remaining milk, half-and-half, and next 3 ingredients (through corn syrup) in a medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; stir seeds into milk mixture in pan, reserving bean for another use. Bring to a boil; boil 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add cornstarch mixture; stir with a whisk. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Gradually add milk mixture to cream cheese mixture, stirring until smooth. Return milk mixture to saucepan.
5. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl until mixture cools to room temperature (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
6. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
7. While ice cream freezes, combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 5 minutes or until fruit is soft and juice is syrupy.
8. Place pan in a large ice-filled bowl until fruit is cold (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
9. When ice cream is finished churning, transfer to a container suitable for the freezer, alternating spoonfuls of the ice cream with dollops of the fruit. Press a piece of parchment or wax paper directly on the surface of the ice cream, and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
10. Remove from freezer to soften before serving.