Blueberry Ice Cream

Well, ya'll, we've been on a bit of a break. We've used this time to try out new recipes for friends and family. We've been out and about discovering new treasures at local restaurants. And, of course, we've been using this time to try our hand at recreating Nanny's gumbo.

Of course, we can't keep these things all to ourselves so it's time to start sharing the love. It seems appropriate that we kick off a new set of recipes on the same week that I received okra in my produce box.  Like Mama's first recipe cards said: Kissing Wears Out - Cookin' Don't.

I set aside the okra and turned my attention to that much-talked-about superfruit: blueberries. It's been unbearably hot these past few weeks. It's only June and the heat index has been over 100 on occasion and to beat the heat, I've been focusing on homemade ice cream! I even had a dish of it for breakfast last Saturday after a long bike ride out in the country. I found an easy recipe that doesn't require the careful creaming of custard at Epicurious.com. Your family will love this purpleish dish:

BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM

• 2 cups picked-over blueberries

• 3/4 cup sugar
   
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
   
• 1 cup milk
   
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

In a saucepan bring blueberries, sugar, and salt to a boil over moderate heat, mashing berries and stirring with a fork. 

Simmer mixture, stirring frequently, for five minutes and cool slightly. 

In a blender purée mixture with milk just until smooth and stir in cream. Pour purée through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids with back of a spoon. 

Chill mixture, covered, at least 2 hours and up to one day, or until cold.

Freeze mixture in an ice-cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden. Ice cream may be made 1 week ahead.

My notes:  Most times I skip straining the blueberry mixture. I think it adds to the homemade goodness to have tiny bits of fruit in the mix. Also, because this is not a custard-based cream, I encourage you to use whole milk. Finally, on my last batch, I used one cup of sugar and it was divine! 

Vice-Versa

One of my many vices is chocolate. Maybe it's my favorite vice; although technically, my love of chocolate is neither immoral or depraved. This weekend, I learned to flip one of my favorite chocolatey-whipped-potluck desserts. I regularly create a pudding-based ECLAIR CONFECTION PIE based on a recipe from my dear friend Kellilyn from Alabama. It is truly Southern: simple, smooth and sweet. It is the only dish you'll need to take to your church's Sunday dinner or to that friend who's just had a baby or to your neighboorhood cook-out. Here is the recipe.

 CHOCOLATE ECLAIR CONFECTION PIE

Ingredients

• 12 ounces graham crackers (1 box)
• 2 (3 1/2 ounce) boxes vanilla instant pudding
• 3 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 (8 ounce) containers whipped topping
• 1 (12 ounce) containers milk chocolate frosting

Directions

1. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
2. Layer bottom of pan with graham crackers.
3. In large bowl,mix together pudding and 3 cups of milk.
4. Beat until mixture begins to thicken.
5. Fold in whipped topping.
6. Spread evenly over graham crackers.
7. Add another layer of graham crackers over pudding mixture.
8. Mix remaining 2 tablespoons of milk with chocolate frosting.
9. Spread evenly over top layer of graham crackers.
10. Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.

This weekend, I found out how to flip it. In other words, instead of a vanilla-pudding base with chocolate icing; my new favorite dessert has a chocolate pudding base with whipped topping and a cream cheese layer. I loved the crunchy, nutty taste of the crust and the cream cheese and chocolate are always a sure thing.

COOL, CREAMY CHOCOLATE DESSERT

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/4  cups  all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
• 1/4  cup  powdered sugar
• 6  tablespoons  chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4  cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
• Cooking spray 

Filling:

• 1  cup  powdered sugar
• 1/2  cup  (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/2  cup  (4 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1  (8-ounce) carton frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed and divided
• 3  cups  1% low-fat milk
• 2  (3.9-ounce) packages chocolate instant pudding mix
• Unsweetened cocoa (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add butter; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans. Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool completely.
3. To prepare filling, place 1 cup sugar and cream cheeses in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy. Fold in half of whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture on cooled crust. Cover loosely; refrigerate 1 hour.
4. Combine milk and pudding mix in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until pudding is set. Spread the pudding mixture over cream cheese layer. Spread remaining half of thawed whipped topping over pudding layer. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Cut into 15 pieces.

Created by Kathy Kitchens Downie, RD, Cooking Light, MAY 2008

Come to think of it, a few people LOOKED depraved as they dove for the last bite at my neighborhood picnic on Sunday.....so maybe it is a new vice.