The past few days have been warm but not terrible. I didn’t even close up my house and turn on the air conditioner until afternoon. Today is supposed to be hot, though, and then the weekend is supposed to be VERY hot. I’m sure the same is true for lots of you!
So!
If you have an ice cream maker, you should get it out and try this great recipe, based on one from THE PERFECT SCOOP by David Lebovitz. You don’t have to make a custard base or anything, no eggs, no cooking, you don’t have to heat anything up at all, so especially perfect for hot weather. Plus, very good ice cream! The only problem with this recipe is, it doesn’t make enough. Either get a BIG ice cream maker and double the recipe or plan on making it twice, because you are going to be sad when you finish this off.
Blackberry Swirl Cheesecake Ice Cream
Ice cream base:
8 oz cream cheese
Zest of 1 or 2 limes, washed with soap and dried
1 C sour cream
1/2 C half-and-half
2/3 C sugar
Pinch salt
Blackberry swirl:
1 C blackberries, fresh or frozen-and-thawed, slightly mashed
1/4 C or more sugar
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp vodka (to prevent the blackberry mixture from freezing too hard)
Put all the ice cream ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Chill overnight. If you’re using an ice cream maker that has a cylinder you freeze (like mine), then don’t forget to put it in the freezer 24 hours before you are going to use the machine.
Combine the blackberries with sugar to taste and the lime juice. The amount of sugar really depends on you.
Freeze the ice cream according to the machine’s directions.
Dollop the ice cream into a container, adding spoonfuls and dribbles of blackberries as you go.
Freeze for a while before serving.
Homemade ice cream will freeze much harder than bought ice cream because there is less air in it. This is fine. I actually left the container on the counter for twenty minutes, cut the ice cream into slices with a big knife, pried them out, and re-packaged them in several smaller containers so I could share this with my parents. I like firm ice cream, so I didn’t soften it before actually eating my share.
Variants:
Blueberries! If you use blueberries, try the lime juice. Blueberries and lime are a great combination.
Raspberries! If you use raspberries, I would suggest the zest of one lemon in the ice cream and lemon juice in the raspberry mixture. I am not confident that raspberries would combine well with lime, but if you try it, let me know how it worked.
100% of spaniels were disappointed this wasn’t for them, but it didn’t make enough to share with six dogs.
Please Feel Free to Share:
Mmm, I have just acquired an ice cream maker, so I foresee this being made in the near future.
You will not regret it. Unless you eat it all at once go. Then you might.