Leite's Blueberry Ice Cream

By stancec44

This blueberry ice cream, made with antioxidant-rich blueberries, cream, milk, and sugar, is a great spring and summer dessert. Lemon juice and zest, plus optional honey liqueur, balance the flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh blueberries (or huckleberries)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons honey liqueur or framboise (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Rinse the berries and pick out any squished or moldy ones. Place the blueberries in a small saucepan with the water and cook over low heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly and then purée in a blender or food processor.

2. In a small bowl, mash the zest with 1 teaspoon sugar to release the essential oils in the zest. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the half-and-half with the remaining sugar, stirring until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the blueberry purée, cream, sugared zest, juice, and vanilla. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.

3. Freeze the ice cream mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is almost frozen, spoon in the liqueur, if desired, and churn until blended, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a container, cover, and freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

HUCKLEBERRY ICE CREAM VARIATION
This ice cream recipe also works beautifully with huckleberries. Simply substitute fresh or frozen huckleberries for the blueberries.