Blueberry-Sour Cream Ice Cream

Late to the party as always, I think I'm finally turning into an ice cream fan. Maybe it has to do with the sultry, tropical heat I've been living swimming in for the past month, or maybe my taste buds are simply bored with all the buttery, chewy stuff I've been munching on all these years.

I'm not sure why I'm falling in love with ice cream all of a sudden, but it gives me renewed hope for my taste palate, and a renewed anxiety for my increasingly fickle nature.

Or, maybe this particular ice cream is just undeniably spectacular. (My money's on this one.)

A lot of cookbooks have something ingenious called an "index." Apparently, I need to make use of this, because I somehow completely missed this recipe every time I flipped through Dorie Greenspan's exquisite cookbook, Baking; From My Home To Yours.  (And I must have flipped through that book over a gazillion times.)

Since my refrigerator was bursting with blueberries, I looked up the word blueberry in Dorie's book, and I was immediately drawn to the sub-phrase "-sour cream ice cream." (I don't know about you, but I adore the tangy, creamy deity that is sour cream.) Ice cream fan or not, who in their right mind could resist the siren call of blueberries and sour cream?

This ice cream is really more of a delightful frozen custard. Plus it's egg-free, so you don't need to worry about any curdling issues (the ever-present thorn in my baker's side). The flavour is unquestionably blueberry, but the twangy sour cream (and lemon zest!), shine through in every spoonful.

I should note that I don't have an ice cream machine, although that may need to change, very soon. I used David Lebovitz's ice cream-machine-free method. (I've used this technique in the past, and I'm always impressed with the results!) I also recommend that you double this recipe, as I quickly discovered that I didn't have nearly enough to pacify my new found craving.

Blueberry-Sour Cream Ice Cream
Makes about 1 pint

ingredients
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw and drain before using)
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
grated zest and juice of 1/4 lemon
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream

method
In a medium sauce pan bring the blueberries, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice to a boil. When the mixture is boiling and the berries burst, about 3 minutes, remove from heat.

Turn the berries into a blender and whir until you have a fairly homogeneous puree, about one minute. (It will never be completely smooth, and that’s just fine.) Add the heavy cream and sour cream and pulse just to blend. Taste and, if you’d like, add a squirt more lemon juice or a tiny bit more sugar.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and chill completely in the refrigerator.

Scrape the chilled custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Pack the ice cream into a container and freeze for at least 2 hours, until it is firm enough to scoop.

Recipe from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Baking; From My Home To Yours