Li Hing Mui Apple Ice Cream

Directions

1. Freeze bowl: Approximately 18 hours ahead of time: Place the ice cream bowl in the freezer. Make sure the freezer is set to 0 degrees or colder.
2. Prep apples: Finely dice the apple into small pieces. (About the size of a tic-tac) Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until it is soft to the touch. Set aside to cool.
3. Prep for the ice cream base: Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
4. Cook: Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes -- watch it closely and stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't boil over.
5. Thicken: Gradually whisk the cornstarch slurry into the strained mixture. Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
6. Chill: Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour until cold.
7. Freeze: Pour the ice cream mixture into the frozen canister and turn on the machine. Add the li hing mui powder into the bowl while it is mixing. Spin the ice cream until thick and creamy. Once it reaches the desired consistency, gently mix in the apple pieces.
8. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, about 4 hours.