Blueberry Lime Ice Cream

I thought long and hard about what kitchen items to bring to Utah.  In retrospect,  I probably should have brought my kitchen aid (the hand beaters that are here at the house make my arm ache while whipping egg whites), and maybe our rice maker, which makes fluffy, perfect rice every time.

Instead, I brought our yogurt maker (absolutely essential in Adam's eyes), our pasta maker (for fun), our blender (because other blenders can't touch our blendtec), and our ice cream maker (also for fun).  Out of all of those, the blender is the only practical one in the bunch.

Despite that, we have actually used all of these appliances at least once, and the blender many times.  I make (and we eat) ice cream year round, so it should come as no surprise that this is an essential summertime appliance.  I was looking for a recipe to make that I already had all the ingredients for.

Adam is not a huge caramel fan, and I don't love chocolate ice cream, so I was hoping to make a fruit ice cream.  I am fairly picky when it comes to fruit/vegetable ice creams, so this blueberry ice cream really fit the bill.  It is smooth, sweet, and indulgent.  It is also incredibly flavorful, and the lime and blueberry complement each other perfectly.

It was a total home run.  I couldn't stop eating it, much to Adam's disappointment.

Also, take note of this AWESOME new site design!  My beautiful sisters, Janssen and Merrick, did the redesign for my birthday (last week)!  It really was one of the best presents I could have possibly gotten!  It fixed all the issues I was having with my site (minimalist posts not being easily available, the pin-it button not showing up, etc).

Anyway, I am super thrilled about it, so you should look around a little and see the new features (categories in the navigation bar at the top, options to share the posts, and my new and improved social media buttons)!  It is really fabulous and I am loving it!  I hope you like it, too!

Blueberry Lime Ice Cream
Recipe and directions adapted from Baked By Rachel

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 Tbs fresh lime juice (save the rind for zesting)
2 cup whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 egg yolks (use the egg whites as part of this cake recipe)
Zest from 1 lime

In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of sugar, the blueberries, and the lime juice.  Heat on medium until the mixture reaches a boil.  With a fork, spatula or potato masher, squash the berries to release juice.  At this point, you can puree the blueberry mixture (or not), and strain through a cheesecloth.  Set the strained mixture aside, and discard the blueberry remnants.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the heavy cream, and vanilla, and briefly mix to combine.  Set a fine mesh strainer on top.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks together with a fork or whisk.

Now, in a small pot (just rinse out your original saucepan), add the milk, remaining 1 cup of cream, 3/4 cup sugar, and salt, and turn heat to medium.  Stir until all the sugar is dissolved.

When the mixture begins to steam (NOT boil), scoop 1 cup of the steaming mixture into a measuring cup, and slowly pour it into the bowl of yolks, while mixing continuously (add just a little at a time, until the eggs have warmed up slightly, and the steaming mixture has cooled a bit.  If your eggs cooked, the ice cream custard base will be ruined, so take your time on this).

Now take your egg mixture and slowly pour it into the milk filled saucepan, stirring all the while.  Now add the blueberry puree.  Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Pour mixture from the saucepan into the bowl of cream and vanilla.  Pour it through the sieve, to strain out any stray bits of blueberry or egg.

Cool it slightly, then cover the bowl, and chill it for 2-4 hours.

Pour it into an ice cream churn, and churn according to the manufacturer's directions.  While the ice cream is churning, add the lime zest.

Transfer from the churn to a tupperware or bread pan lined with wax paper.  Cover and freeze until the ice cream is solid.