Very Easy Blueberry Maple Ice Cream

When I was looking around for different blueberry recipes to make, one of the cookbooks I pulled off the shelf was Cooking Alaskan, by Alaskans.  (Really, that's what it says.)  The book is a huge compilation of Alaskan recipes by a huge assortment of Alaskan cooks.

I've used it primarily because it has a whole chapter devoted to sourdough, but I had a feeling there would be a good amount of blueberry recipes.  And I was right.

I kind of altered this ice cream recipe a tiny bit - it's hard to alter a recipe that only has four ingredients to begin with - by substituting maple syrup for the honey called for, but otherwise I made this exactly as directed.

Here's the recipe:

Blueberry Ice Cream

for an ice cream maker

1 quart (1 L) half-and-half

1/2 cup (120 ml) honey

Dash salt

3/4 cup (180 ml) crushed blueberries

-Scald cream in a pan over medium heat.  Remove from stove and stir in honey and dash of salt.  Pour into ice cream container and stick in the refrigerator until completely cooled.  Add blueberries and then freeze according to ice cream maker's instructions.  Makes about 1-1/2 quarts (1.45 L)

- Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Cookbook

Okay.  First, I crushed the blueberries.  I used about a cup, actually.

Then I got the rest of the ingredients out.  Here's everything:

I poured the half-and-half into a small pan and scalded it - or brought it to just before a boil.

Then I poured the cream into a bowl, stirred in the maple syrup and salt, and put the whole thing in an ice water bath (or a cold-pack water bath) and stirred to get the temperature down quickly.

"Why maple syrup instead of honey?" you might ask.  Well, I didn't think we had enough honey on hand, so that was one factor (although it turns out we had more - I just didn't realize it), and also, maple syrup and blueberries go nicely together, at least in my house when I make blueberry pancakes for Alex and he drowns them in maple syrup.  So that's why.

Anyway, once the cream mixture had cooled down some, I put it in the fridge for several hours to chill completely.

Around 4 hours later or so, I poured the cream into my ice cream maker and let her rip while I hung laundry out to dry.  (We live in a nice little neighborhood not far from all kinds of malls and shopping and car places and restaurants, and we're not far from Providence, either, which is a CITY.  But in my mind, I live out on the prairie, and we've got to get the crops in before the hail destroys it all...churn our own butter...hang out the laundry...all that stuff.  Except with electricity and indoor plumbing.)

But I digress.  Here's the ice cream a-churning away...

And here's some of the finished, churned product, before it went into the freezer to finish freezing.

 

And know what?  It's very good.  Not strongly maple-flavored, not overly blueberry-ey, but just a nice, sweet but not overly sweet ice cream.

It's more watery when it melts than a custard-based ice cream, but I don't really mind that, either.  Maybe next time I'd add a bit more maple syrup, or maybe I'd add a swirl of blueberry jam or syrup to the mix.  But I'm pretty happy with it as-is.  And if we had pie left, I bet it would go PERFECTLY with this ice cream.  Or with those blueberry twists I made yesterday.  Hmmm...I don't think the children have eaten all of those yet....

 

Comments

[Allison L.]

i think maple syrup with blueberries sounds just right. i'm a complete ice cream fiend this summer and if i had these ingredients on hand, i'd be in the kitchen already. thanks for the recipe! it looks delicious.

[Shannalee]

I am a huge fan of recipes with few ingredients, and I love that this requires only four. (Just made something similar but with orange - so good) Plus, your pictures have my mouth watering!

[penny]

I wish summer is here! Too cold at the moment for ice cream.

[jomamma]

I was worried for a minute there... when you said it was an Alaskan recipe, they make ice cream from Seal Blubber up there! Wouldn't this be classified as a custard? Whatever, it looks and sounds delightful.
I miss my life in the little house on the Oklahoma prairie and my clothes-line. I know how you feel.

My daughter was in P-town for this past week! Leaving today for Boston and then USVI on Saturday. I'm sure she would have looked you up had she known you were close by, she's the one who found this blog for me.