Summer Harvest Ice Cream
Have a bunch of beautiful Summer fruit you need to use up quick? Make this!
I do this thing in the produce section of the grocery store where I buy everything that looks good. “Everything that looks good” is usually half of everything my store has to offer. This means I have to get creative when trying to use it up before it goes bad (um, like that really long spans of time this Summer where every other recipe was a cherry-something-or-other). Shoving it all into ice cream is certainly one of the most delicious ways I’ve devised!
Actually, I technically did not buy all of this produce at the grocery store.
The other day, Mikey and I were picking Rook up from doggie daycare (trust me, it’s necessary), when I noticed a few small fruits on the ground of the parking lot. I looked up, and there was a tree with tons and tons of perfect little plums all over it! I grabbed as many as I could fit in my arms and took them home to the fruit basket on my kitchen counter…where they sat with the plums I bought from the store…for an entire week. And then there was the pint of blackberries and the leftover blueberries, both hanging out in the fridge, waiting to be used.
I finally kicked my butt into gear and made a ice cream custard base to stir all of the beautiful produce into. The base is pretty much just my go-to vanilla ice cream recipe, minus the vanilla bean. It’s creamy and rich and the perfect vessel for sweet Summer fruit. Seriously, put whatever you have in there—strawberries, peaches, raspberries, nectarines, cherries…it’ll all work! Fruit + cream is always a winning combo (like this literal representation).
Anyway, this ice cream is like the perfect homage to Summer. Oh! And I feel like I have to urge you to eat it straight after it’s churned. It’s like a wonderful soft-serve full of fruit. Of course it’s still amazing after it hardens up in the freezer, but the fruit can get a bit icy—nothing a few minutes on the counter can’t solve, though!
PrintSummer Harvest Ice Cream
Yield: about 1 and 1/2 quarts
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk (I used 2%, but using whole will provide a richer and creamier end product)
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups mixed fruit, chopped into bite-sized pieces in necessary (I used blueberries, blackberries, and plums)
Directions:
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan (I like to use an enamel Dutch oven), combine the milk, salt, and sugar and bring to a simmer. Stir until the sugar is dissolved
- Whisk the egg yolks together in a small bowl. Set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart bowl inside of a larger bowl that is filled with ice water. Set a mesh strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour in the cream.
- Temper the yolks by whisking small amounts of the warm milk mixture into the yolks. Add the warmed yolks into the saucepan.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, being sure to scrape the bottom and sides until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. When you run your finger down the back of the spoon, the trail left by your finger should stay put.
- Strain the custard into the small bowl in your ice bath. Add in the extract and stir over the ice until cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Pour the custard into your ice cream maker and churn for about 25 minutes, until thick. Add in the fruit and churn for about 5 more minutes. Serve immediately, or freeze in an airtight container until ready to serve.
recipe adapted from here
