Blackberry Ice Cream

 Blackberries were on sale, so I made blackberry ice cream. Naturally.

I've made so much ice cream this summer, you wouldn't believe me if I told you how much.  Over 10 gallons! Don't believe me? I told you you wouldn't. 

I mean, we didn't eat all of it ourselves, of course. But I've been eating a lot of my homemade vanilla. So I wanted to try a different flavor. With all the berries in season right now, I was inspired to go fruity! Blackberries just caught my eye.

Blackberries are pretty tart by themselves. They're not like blueberries or strawberries in the inhaling department (See: my sister Justine, who lives off strawberries). 

However, when their flavor is used IN something, like mixed with something sweet, the tartness mellows out and leaves a sweet blackberry flavor like nothing else!

It's a mellow flavor, but it's oh sooooo good. It's smooth and sweet, and almost sorbet-like. Eat it with fresh berries, it doesn't need anything else!

I pureed the blackberries with lemon juice and strained the puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. It's a tedious task that requires a little patience, but worth it because who wants blackberry seeds in their ice cream? Come on.

The puree is mixed in with the liquids and sugar, and then put into the ice cream maker! It's so simple. Just run the ice cream mixer until it reaches a soft-serve consistency, then freeze in a container for a few hours until it hardens to your liking! 

Blackberry Ice Cream Recipe:

6 oz. (about a cup) blackberries (fresh or frozen)

1 tea. lemon juice

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Puree the blackberries and lemon juice until smooth in a food processor.

Strain through a mesh sieve or cheese cloth to remove the seeds.

Whisk the sugar, whipping cream and half-and-half together until the sugar is dissolved.

Whisk in the blackberry puree.

Pour into the ice cream maker and run according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

Run until the ice cream reaches a soft-serve consistency, usually about 15-20 minutes.

Pour into a freezer safe container, cover, and freeze for a few hours to harden further.

Enjoy!