By Tara Holder
Do you have a mess of prickly pear cactus growing near you? When the fruits are ripe (when they're almost if not completely red), pick them, prep them, and they can be mixed into all sorts of things. This recipe is for a no-churn ice cream. Basically, I made a whipped cream and folded the prickly pear mixture into it, then froze. Note that you need prickly pear juice for this recipe; here's how Hank Shaw makes it.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups prickly pear juice
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
Juice of 1 lemon (almost 1.5 Tbsp)
Pinch of salt (I used sea salt)
1/4 cup sugar
Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream whipped into peaks
1/3 cup sugar
Make the whipped cream and refrigerate. Mix together all prickly pear cheesecake ingredients until well blended and smooth. Gently fold in whipped cream until completely mixed. Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe dish and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 4 hours. Add any toppings of your choice.