A Taste of Summer: Blueberry Ice Cream

Not satisfied with our initial 10 pounds of blueberries, we went and picked 6 more pounds last Friday and were, again, blessed with a beautiful day. This time, however, the boys were a little less than enthusiastic and the youngest, who picked 5 pounds last time, picked maybe a 1/2 pound this time. Still, I think that 16 pounds will do us.

There was no question which recipe I wanted to make next. Ice cream=Summer. Blueberries=Summer. Blueberry Ice Cream? A double summer treat. It's also something you don't generally see at the grocery store or in the ice cream parlors. And shoot - our local ice cream stores don't make good ice cream, so I'm kind of stuck making it myself anyway. A member of the CLBB was kind enough to offer a recipe from Ann Hodgman.

Blueberry Ice Cream

This is only my second or third time making a full fat ice cream - I generally like to try low-fat recipes or sorbets. Thing is, most low-fat recipes generally fail pretty miserably - except for one stellar exception (so far). I like a rich, creamy, dense ice cream, so this time, I decided to try the real thing. It did not disappoint.

It's a custard-based ice cream - the kind I tend to like best. With 6 egg yolks, cream and half and half, it's not going to win any nutrition awards, but the texture and the flavor - oh yum. And the color - check out that purple! Perhaps we can focus on the nutritional value of the blueberries to offset the guilt a little. The blueberries puree nicely and although there were a few flecks here or there, the skins did not detract from the texture at all. Thank goodness, because I was afraid it might need to be put through a sieve first and I'm always looking to skip these extra steps if possible.

Tip: I recommend chilling all ice cream or sorbet mixtures overnight. I've had problems with ice creams not setting properly if I try to hurry the process. Waiting overnight requires a bit of patience and turns ice cream making into a 2 day affair, but it is well worth the wait.

I need to churn out a few more ice cream recipes before summer fades away - I made very little ice cream last year and haven't done much better this year. There's still time, though, so I'm off to scare up a few more recipes...........