Baking my way through the trials and triumphs of life!

My ice cream maker is running over-time this week, and after indulging in all of this ice cream, I’m the one who should be running over-time at 24 Hour Fitness Center (I won’t lie,  I never made it to the gym this week!).This recipe rivals the apple pie ice cream from earlier this week. After reading all of the ice cream favorites you’ve posted on the ice cream essentials give-away, I can now guarantee my ice cream maker will be running all summer long.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Here are just a few of the not your ordinary favorite flavors you shared…

 Another favorite… “Muddy Sneakers”. The only kind of muddy sneakers allowed in my house… Muddy Sneakers ice cream is a mix of snickers, caramel, and vanilla. You can get it from a small dairy farm in Pennsylvania or whip up your own version. That’s what I plan on doing!

I also can’t wait to create homemade versions of the Cinnabon, Oatmeal Raisin, and Kahlua Malt Crunch. I think the Kahlua with the Malt Crunch could be a great pairing! I’ll let you know how they turn out.

Have a great weekend everyone! Take time to enjoy all of the beautiful things in your life. Don’t forget to leave your comment on Monday’s post to win the Cusinart Ice Cream Give-away. Deadline to comment is Sunday night 8PM standard pacific Time.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Blueberry Cream Pie Ice Cream (Inspired by, Spice Dreams & Baker’s Banter)

Ice Cream:

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup plus ¼ cup sugar

½ tsp.lemon zest

Pinch of salt

2 large egg yolks

1 cup whipping cream

¾ tsp. vanilla.

Dash of cinnamon

Graham crackers, chopped into small pieces (about ¾ cup)

Blueberry Filling:

2 – 2 ½  cups blueberries, cleaned

¼  cup powdered sugar

¼ water

To make the ice cream combine the milk, ¼ cup sugar, lemon zest and salt in a medium saucepan. Scald the milk mixture over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes*.

While milk is scalding, whisk egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and whisk until light and fluffy. Whisking constantly, add a small amount of the hot milk into the egg mixture. Gradually whisk in the remaining hot milk.

Return the custard mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often. The custard needs to get thick enough to cover the back of a spoon (approx. 5 minutes). Remove pan from heat and place into a glass bowl of ice. Let the custard cool, stirring often for five minutes

While the custard is cooling, combine the cream and vanilla in a separate bowl. Stir into the custard mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Refrigerate until completely chilled (minimum 4 hours, overnight works too). The custard can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To make the blueberry sauce, combine blueberries, powdered sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stirring occasionally. mixture should begin to thicken between 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Ues right away or refrigerate.   

Freeze the chilled custard in your ice cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s directions. Add the graham cracker pieces during the last minute of churning, until just mixed. Transfer to an airtight container by layering, the vanilla ice cream and the blueberry sauce. Scoop a layer of ice cream into the bottom of the container. Use a spatula to spread out evenly. Add a scoop of blueberry sauce on top and spread evenly. Add spoonfuls of vanilla on top and spread. It’s a little tricky to spread the vanilla on top of the sauce mixture. Clean fingers worked best for me. Freeze for a few hours to firm it up before you serve it. (if you have the willpower!)

                                                                                                                                                                                                Food for Thought…

• Use a small cookie cutter to make graham cracker stars for garnish. There will be a little breakage, but use those as part of your graham cracker mix-in.
• Need a shortcut? Use blueberry pie filling instead.
• Not a blueberry fan? Try raspberries, strawberries.
• Can’t decide?  Try mixed berries.
• Want a little more cinnamon flavor? Add Cinnamon graham crackers
• Instead of achieving the vanilla-blueberry swirl look, you can mix the blueberry sauce into the ice cream mixture doing the last minute of churning. This will make the ice cream a beautiful purple hue.
• *IMPORTANT: I checked in with the authors of Spice Dreams to clarify. When you’re scalding the milk, if the milk is too hot, when it combines with the egg yolk mixture, you may see it separate a little. If it looks a tiny bit curdled, don’t panic. (Stick to the five minute recommendation when you heat the milk.) If you do see this slight change in texture, you should be okay. The churning process does a good job of smoothing it out. Thanks Sarah & Katie!
• Mary Jane at Baker’s Banter version of blueberry pie ice cream (which is what really got me obsessed with making this!) finishes the dessert off by putting scoops of the ice cream into profiteroles. They look and sounds amazing!
• You’ll probably end up with extra blueberry sauce, don’t throw it away, make oat bars or cheesecake bites.