The ultimate ice cream! This recipe is adapted from my favorite ice cream book, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home. My ice cream maker of choice is Cuisinart's basic maker. The ice cream base is made without eggs, but uses cream cheese for flavor and texture. Making the caramel takes close attention; read more about it here. This ice cream pairs deliciously with apple pie and caramel sauce.
Before making the caramel for the base, prep a few items: make a slurry by mixing about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese with the salt until smooth. In a measuring cup with a spout, mix the cream with the corn syrup. Then, fill a large bowl with ice and water to use to cool down the base swiftly.
To make the caramel, place the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium high heat until the sugar is dissolved and amber in color. This takes about 5 minutes; watch closely so you can remove the pan from the heat the moment the mixture is deep amber; it can burn swiftly.
Remove the pan from the heat and, stirring constantly, slowly add about 1/4 cup of the cream and corn syrup mixture. The caramel will spurt and pop. Stir until well combined, then add more cream and continue in this way, stirring and adding cream until it is all incorporated.
Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the milk. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and boil the mixture for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the cornstarch slurry.Bring back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the caramel is slightly thickened, about a minute. Remove from the heat.
Whisk about 1/4 cup of the hot caramel mixture into the cream cheese mixture, whisking until there are no lumps and it is completely smooth. Add another 1/4 cup and whisk, then gradually whisk in the remaining caramel. Stir in the vanilla and orange blossom water.
Chill the base by pouring it into a gallon-sized zip-lock bag and immersing it in the large bowl of ice water until it is cold, about 30 minutes.
Pour the base into a frozen canister in the ice cream maker and spin until it is thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream in a storage container and top with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.