I don’t think I’ve had a dessert that wasn’t frozen in ages. Wait, that’s not true. I inhaled most things in the Tartine window. But I don’t think I’ve made a non-frozen dessert in my own kitchen in quite a long time. Glass jars of local heavy cream just keep making their way into my fridge. I repeatedly make plans to bake a hot berry cobbler, pour cold cream on top, and then eat the entire bowl while moaning. However, the cream keeps jumping into my ice cream maker instead. I don’t know how it gets there, I swear! At this point, I can feel the dog judging me for making ice cream before 8am. Have you heard of Christina Tosi’s wonderful dessert invention cereal milk? The great and lovely Christina (are all dessert wizards named Christina?–YES) soaks our favorite childhood cereals in milk. After a pinch of salt, a touch more sugar and straining, she serves it cold. I’ve never had the pleasure of going to Momofuku for her desserts, but it’s on my bucket list. The fruity pebbly cereal milk is the loveliest shade of peach. Captain Crunch makes a pale yellow cereal milk. It’s equal parts adorable and genius. As if it couldn’t get any better, sometimes she churns it into ice cream. Cereal milk ice cream! My brain goes wild with ideas of things to infuse in milk. We’re not big cereal eaters in this house, but graham cracker eaters, we are—especially the cinnamon ones! (Not-so-shameless plug of my Graham Cracker Fried Chicken here). I love Tosi’s version of cereal milk ice cream because it doesn’t rely on eggs. Would you really want an egg-y flavor in your cereal milk? No way! To ensure the ice cream stays soft, she uses gelatin. I took it a step further and stirred in a touch of PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese. This way, the ice cream can last overnight in the freezer while staying soft and scoop-able. Although, David Leite’s interview with Tossi mentions that ‘any restaurant that gives a damn will melt any unserved ice cream and re-churn the next day because freshly churned tastes best.’ I love her sentiment, but I also love that I can make this ice cream a day in advance. This ice cream couldn’t be easier to make. If you can pour milk over cereal, you can make this!
Nabisco Honey Maid Cinnamon Graham Crackers soak in milk for 20 minutes. They eventually dissolve into the milk. After straining, stir in the cream, brown sugar, salt, gelatin, and cream cheese. See the recipe below for complete instructions.
