Wild Blackberry Ice Cream

Is anything better?

Makes about three pints of ice cream

In a medium saucepan, cook for 3-5 minutes:

1/2 cup sugar
2 heaping cups blackberries

Cool to room temperature then puree 3/4 of the berries in a blender. Strain and reserve

Scald (making sure the sugar is dissolved before proceeding):

2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
2-inch piece of vanilla bean (optional)

Temper (see below):

5 egg yolks

Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in:

2 cups cream

Stir in pureed berries and reserved stewed berries. Chill 3-5 hours.

Freeze according to manufactures directions (I use the KitchenAid freezer bowl attachment for my mixer). When done, scoop the ice cream into a tub and allow to firm up in the freezer for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Tempering is done by slowly increasing the temperature of the egg yolks so that it's closer to the temperature of the milk you're adding them to. Tempering eggs prevents them from scrambling, or looking like egg drop soup. To properly temper eggs, ladle a small amount of hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Gradually add more milk and eventually all of it. If the eggs do scramble you must start over - it cannot be salvaged once scrambled.