This is a custard-based ice cream, which is the best kind of ice cream there is. You’ll need an ice cream maker; mine’s an old wooden one. And don't forget those beautiful, dark, glorious blackberries!

Add blackberries to a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain using a fine mesh strainer, pressing berries to extract as much juice/puree as possible. Set aside. Heat half-and-half and 1 cup sugar in a separate saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat when mixture is totally heated. Beat egg yolks by hand or with an electric mixer until yolks are pale yellow and slightly thick. Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling into the 1 1/2 cups of hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. After that, pour the egg yolk/half-and-half mixture into the pan containing the rest of the half-and-half mixture. Cook over low to medium-low heat (depending on how hot your stove gets) until quite thick, stirring constantly. Add heavy cream to a separate bowl. Drain custard using a fine mesh strainer, then pour into the bowl with the heavy cream. Stir to combine. Add blackberry juice/puree to the cream/custard mixture and stir. Chill mixture completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker until thick. Place container in freezer to harden for an additional two hours. Evil variation: Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chunks before freezing. Delicious!

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I made this delicious delight last summer, lost the photos on my gargantuan (at the time) hard drive, and never got to post it.

I made it a couple of days ago, didn’t take several crucial photos, and didn’t get to post it.

So I made another batch for you today. I took one for the team. It’s the kinda gal I am.

This is a custard-based ice cream, which is the best kind of ice cream there is. You’ll need an ice cream maker; mine’s an old wooden one. The kind you get at The Wal Marts. But any ol’ ice cream maker will do.





You’ll need 2 pints of blackberries. Beautiful, dark, glorious blackberries!





5 eggs.





Lemon juice and half-and-half and heavy cream and sugar. That’s it!



THE BERRIES:

First thing we need to do is cook down the blackberries a bit. Throw them into a medium saucepan over low to medium-low heat and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.





Add in 1/4 cup sugar. It’ll keep ya honest.





Now cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the liquid has cooked out of the berries and begun to thicken.





And when it’s done…





Pour it into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and allow the delicious purple liquid to drain.





Use the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as you can.









This is liquid deliciousness.





THE MILK/SUGAR:

In a separate pan, combine 1 1/2 cups of half-and-half…





With 1 cup sugar.





Mix together, then warm up over low heat.





Now, in a separate bowl, pour 1 1/2 cups heavy (whipping) cream.

Cream. Half and half. I just love ice cream, don’t you?

THE EGGS:

Throw 5 egg yolks into a bowl.





You can either beat them by hand, or take the easy route like I do and use an electric mixer.





Beat ’em until they’re light yellowish.

TEMPER THE EGG YOLKS:

Now, grab a little bit of the warm half-and-half/cream mixture and slowly drizzle it into the egg yolks…





…As you whisk the egg yolks constantly. Repeat this with a little more of the half-and-half mixture.





NOW you can slowly drizzle the tempered egg yolks into the pan with the rest of the half-and-half (whisk constantly) without the egg yolks cooking.





Stir the mixture in the pan as it cooks over low to medium-low heat until it thickens into a loose custard.





Now, normally I’d just strain the custard mixture right into the bowl with the heavy cream. But since my other large mesh strainer was at the Lodge, I had to use this little shrimp of a strainer…and the pitcher of my blender!





Please don’t let the blender throw you. It really has nothing to do with this recipe.





When it’s all strained, pour the custard into the bowl with the heavy cream.





Stir together until the mixture is totally combined.





Now you can pour the blackberry juice/puree into the cream mixture.

Get ready. You’re gonna love this next part.





Yummy…





Yummy…





Purple!

Now, if you have the time you can refrigerate this for a couple of hours to chill it. But I want to hurry the process along.





So I throw some ice into my little sink. You can use a separate bowl, too.





Then just stir it occasionally over a period of ten minutes or so to speed-chill it!

I’m very impatient in the kitchen.





When it’s thoroughly chilled, pour it into the bucket of your ice maker.





I like these old fashioned numbers. They remind me of 1974 for some reason.

Not 1975, mind you. 1974.













Now you just layer ice…





With ice cream salt.





Then turn it on to churn…and walk away!

I’ll be back in a bit to share the recipe…and show you the delicious results.

You’re gonna want to see this.

UPDATE: I’m adding in the final steps from Post #2:

When the ice cream maker stops, it’s ready!





Now, if you simply can’t wait, go ahead and serve it up now…”soft serve” style!





Or, if you’re brimming with self control, you can scrape it back into the bucket with a rubber spatula…













Smooth out the surface so it’s nice and even, then cover tightly with the lid (or plastic wrap), then stick it in the freezer to harden for at least an hour or two.

And then…

And then…

And OH….then…





THIS is what you’ll have.





This ice cream is SO creamy and smooth. I’ll be using the basic recipe tomorrow to make Peach Ice Cream, which is one of Pesky Tim’s faves

This, my darling friends, is it. The recipe of your Blackberry Ice Cream dreams. Enjoy!



Delicious Blackberry Ice Cream

2 pints fresh blackberries

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1 cup sugar

5 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Add blackberries to a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain using a fine mesh strainer, pressing berries to extract as much juice/puree as possible. Set aside.

Heat half-and-half and 1 cup sugar in a separate saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat when mixture is totally heated.

Add heavy cream to a separate bowl.

Beat egg yolks by hand or with an electric mixer until yolks are pale yellow and slightly thick.

Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling in 1 1/2 cups of hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. After that, pour the egg yolk/half-and-half mixture into the pan containing the rest of the half-and-half mixture. Cook over low to medium-low heat (depending on how hot your stove gets) until quite thick, stirring constantly. Drain custard using a fine mesh strainer, then pour into the bowl with the cream. Stir to combine.

Add blackberry juice/puree to the cream/custard mixture and stir. Chill mixture completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker until thick. Place container in freezer to harden for an additional two hours.

Evil Variation: Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chunks before freezing. Delicious!