Berries: I've made this recipe a few different ways - once with a combination of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries in the compote, and once with nothing but blackberries. The moral of the story here is that any mix of berries will work. You want blueberry cheesecake ice cream? You got it. Strawberry cheesecake? We can do that too!

I haven't tried using frozen berries, but if you do, here's what I'd suggest: let the berries thaw, and drain out any excess water before you use them.

Berry liqueur: I recommend using Chambord (raspberry liqueur) or creme de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur). Both are easy to find and will pair well with just about any berry (or combination thereof) that you decide to use for your compote. In a pinch you can even use vodka. Skip it if you must, but know that it's there to prevent the compote from getting hard and icy once it's frozen.

Graham crackers: To make gluten-free berry cheesecake ice cream, you can use gluten-free graham crackers (try Kinnikinnick, Pamela's or Nairn's). You'll need to break the cookies into coarse crumbs, which you can do with a bowl and muddler, a mortar and pestle, or a food processor on the "pulse" setting.

Flour: You can use whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour in the graham cracker crumble component of this ice cream recipe.

Butter: The crumble also calls for unsalted butter and a pinch of salt. If you use salted butter, just skip the added salt!

How to make berry cheesecake ice cream

Berry compote swirl

Step one - Simmer berries with sugar: In a medium saucepan, toss together your berries of choice (I used equal parts blueberries, raspberries, and chopped strawberries here) and granulated sugar. Set the mixture over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries have broken down into a soft, juicy mixture.

Step two - Make a slurry: While the berries are simmering, combine cold water, lemon juice, and corn starch in a small bowl, whisking them together until the corn starch has dissolved. (We call this a slurry, and it's used to thicken sauces such as this compote.)

Step three - Add the slurry: Remove the berry mixture from the heat and slowly pour in the slurry, while stirring. Transfer the saucepan back to the stove and bring the compote to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer for 1 minute; at this point the compote should be thick enough to coat a spoon.

Step four - Stir in liqueur. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the berry liqueur. Chill the berry compote thoroughly in an airtight container and give it a quick stir before you add it to your ice cream.

Graham cracker crumble

Step one - Combine all ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the graham cracker crumble. Add the melted butter and mix it in so that the dry ingredients are evenly coated and the mixture is crumbly.

Step two - Brown on stovetop: Transfer the crumble mixture to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture just until it's golden-brown, stirring frequently. This usually takes about 5 minutes, but it can go from brown to burning quickly, so watch it closely!

Once browned, transfer the crumble to a baking tray or large sheet of parchment and let it cool. It'll get nice and crunchy, which is exactly what we want!

Cheesecake ice cream

Step one - Blend all ingredients: Combine all of the ingredients for the ice cream base in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer it to the refrigerator (covered with the blender lid) and chill it well - several hours or overnight.

Step two - Churn: Just before churning, whisk the ice cream mixture briefly to ensure it's smooth. Churn it in your ice cream maker until it's thick and creamy.  During the last 3-5 minutes of churning, slowly add the graham cracker crumbles, using a spoon if needed to make sure they get mixed in sufficiently.