Yield: 1 qt. of ice cream
blueberry buttermilk ice cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups half and half (*or 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup buttermilk. See note!)
- juice of 1 lime (or 1 small lemon)
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1-inch piece vanilla bean (optional)
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 tablespoon of vodka**
Instructions
- In a glass measuring cup add the lime juice to the half and half and set aside.
- Meanwhile in a small saucepan cook the blueberries on medium heat until thre burst and are jammy. Set aside.
- Once the half and half seems thick and a bit curdled, add to a medium sized sauce pan with the sugar and vanilla bean. Cook on medium high heat until just simmering. Add a small amount to the egg yolks, constantly whisking while streaming in a bit more of the warm milk.
- Add everything back to the pot and cook and stir constantly, until mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Remove the vanilla bean. Stir in the blueberries.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the blueberries into the custard, or pour the whole mixture into a standard blender. Stir in the vodka if using.
- Transfer ice cream base to a container and chill thoroughly in the fridge. Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions and then freeze for a few more hours to firm it up.
Notes
*I love making homemade buttermilk or "sour milk" which is just some lemon juice or vinegar added to regular milk until it curdles. Since I only seem to be able to find lowfat buttermilk and I wanted full fat for this ice cream, I opted to just DIY it with some half and half. Either option works.
**adding the vodka is optional but it really helps keep the ice cream from freezing too hard!