Simple Blueberry Ice Cream

Last weekend, Amanda, Pete, Evan and I were sitting in the sun, drinking beer. Pretty typical. And then our friend Mer showed up. Also typical. So there we were, sweating our faces off, drinking craft beers (Seattle is craft beer heaven, by the way). Aside from the sweating our faces off, this is basically what we always do. So anyway, Amanda started talking about homemade ice cream, and the next thing you know, we were all crammed into my apartment around my ice cream maker. Summer is the best. 

I love a good egg-filled custard based ice cream. All creamy and rich. But for those moments when you want homemade ice cream and you want it right now (er, well, in 20 minutes) this simple milk and cream base can't be beat. No cooking. No extra cooling or anything. The only added step here is throwing some fresh blueberries in a blender with fresh lemon juice to make a tangy, fruity, swirly mix-in. 

It's seriously so easy and basic that I almost didn't share it. But the little bites I've been sneaking from the freezer all week were enough to change my mind. 

Simple Blueberry Ice Cream
Ice cream maker required

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

Pinch salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

Juice from 1 lemon

Whisk together cream, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt, and pour into your ice cream maker. Follow ice cream maker's instructions. 

While ice cream maker is doing it's thing, blend together blueberries and lemon juice. Feel free to add a little liquid sweetener if you want (like honey or agave) but I like the tang. 

Right as ice cream is almost done, add 3/4 of the blueberry mixture and continue running machine until it's mixed in. 

To eat as soft serve, top with a little additional blueberry sauce. 

To freeze for hard ice cream, pour ice cream into a freezer safe dish, and pour remaining blueberry mix on top. Swirl with a fork. Freeze until set. 

Based on Emeril's Old Time Vanilla Ice Cream recipe

Raspberry Blueberry Muffins

Fall is just around the corner, and I love it and hate it. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to long, sunny, cloudless summer days. To tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes are supposed to taste. To flip flops and tank tops. I actually love fall, a lot… but it's short, and just around the corner from fall, is winter and spring. Seattle winters and springs mean nothing but grey skies and rain.

I'm really excited for fall cooking—chili and pumpkin everything—but I don't want to wish away the sun too soon. Stop it with the candy corn, grocery stores, it's still summer! It's only August! I'm trying to soak up the last of this beautiful summer, and eat as much summer produce as I can. Tomatoes, berries, corn, zucchini, peaches…on everything, all the time. 

Use up your fresh summer raspberries and blueberries in these muffins (ps. they're so ripe and good right now!) but don't let fall or winter stop you…in a few months, you can still make them, but with frozen berries. This is the pretty much the basic muffin recipe from Fannie Farmer, which Mel made (with huckleberries) my entire life. Maybe it's a nostalgia thing, but I've seriously never had a muffin I like more than these, flavor and texture. They taste like my childhood. And like summer. And, they're super duper easy. 

PS. Cut open a hot muffin and slather on some butter… trust me, you won't regret it. There's no other way.

Raspberry Blueberry Muffins

Adapted slightly from Fannie Farmer

Makes 12

2 cups all purpose flour 

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 (overflowing) fresh raspberries

1/2 cup (overflowing) fresh blueberries

Course turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375, and grease 12 muffin tins. 

Reserve 1/4 cup of the flour, and toss with the berries. Whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add egg, milk, and butter. Stir until flour is damp and everything is just combined, but don't over mix. Lumps are ok! Gently stir in the flour coated berries. Fill muffin tins, sprinkle with course sugar, and bake for 20-25 minutes.