Can You Freeze Cream Cheese

Quote of the day

Hen Jeni Britton Bauer, of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio, agreed to come up with a flavor for The Washington Post, she said: “This seems fairly obvious, I guess, but when I think of Washington, I think of George Washington and then I think of cherry trees. Since cherry trees are in bloom now, and since I’m always thinking about ice cream, I think first of cherry ice cream, not cherry pie.

“As for the pits, I can’t remember where or when I first learned about almond extract coming from cherry pits. But at some point, I learned about it. . . . You can use vanilla extract as a substitute, if you don’t want to hammer pits.”

You’ll need a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer, and an ice cream machine.

MAKE AHEAD: The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. After the ice cream has been processed in an ice cream maker and combined with the sauce, it needs to be frozen for at least 4 hours before serving. From Bauer, of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio.

1 pound tart or sour red cherries

1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (see NOTE)

2 cups whole milk

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

For the sauce: Stem and wash the cherries. Pit them, reserving the pits in a resealable plastic food storage bag. Use a hammer or meat mallet to smash the pits so they open.

Place the pitted cherries in a large (4-quart) saucepan. Sprinkle the sugar over them and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once they have come to a boil, reduce the heat to a medium-low; cook until the cherries register 220 degrees on a candy thermometer or instant-read digital thermometer; this may take as long as 2 hours. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Can you freeze cream cheese?

I often get asked, Can you freeze cream cheese? The answer is Yes and No. I know that sounds funny but YES you can freeze it. Will it be as good as if it had never been frozen? Well that depends on how you plan to use it.

Cream Cheese – You can freeze it directly in the original package. It does changes the consistency once frozen however if are using it in cooking or heated then just use a spoon to smooth the texture then it is no problem.  I freeze it all of the time!  I use it for skyline dip or other recipes that call for cream cheese.  It can also be used for spreading but I do find it to be crumbly so you do have to use a spoon smooth it to get it back to a somewhat normal consistency.

By freezing you can extend the life by 4 to 6 months.  Just write the date you put it into the freezer with a permanent marker so you know how long it has been there.

Be sure to check my post on Can you freeze Cheese too!  Can you freeze sour cream and cottage cheese coming next!

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