Roasted Blueberry and Chocolate Cocoa Nib Ice Cream

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I know that it has been awhile since my last post but here's why, summer is here and it is warm! My husband goes into a tizzy fit when I try and turn the oven on. We've been living off of kale slaw and tuna sandwiches for a week.

In the northwest we like to complain about the rain 9 months out of the year wishing and hoping the summer will finally come. Then it does and after just one week of temperatures in the 80's we start to complain. At work there is already hopeful talk about cooler temperatures and getting on with the next season.

Our food selection has been nothing exciting until today. Today we finally had a high of 70 and I took the opportunity to roast some blueberries and make a roasted blueberry and chocolate cocoa nib ice cream. Yum! 

Last weekend we went and picked blueberries at a farm located on Sauvie Island, The Blueberry Farm. We were given free range of row after row of large blueberry bushes and were fully equipped with buckets and water bottles. After just 30 minutes we had picked a few pounds of blueberries. When I got them home we washed them and let them dry completely. Then put them on a sheet pan in a single layer and froze them over night. The next step was to bag them up into freezer bags and put them back into the freezer and use as needed, a little bit of work but totally worth it.

I have also had a lot of exciting new things pop up in the garden. We have seen a lot of growth across the board over the last three weeks. Most notably, we harvested our garlic two weeks ago, dug out our potatoes today and we have zucchini and yellow squash coming out of our ears. Coming soon will be spaghetti squash, tomatoes, and corn. It turns out my dog is a kale lover at heart. I've caught him stealing kale leaves straight from the plant. Here are a few pictures. 

 

Now on with the ice cream, I'm getting close to perfecting my vanilla base that is rich and fluffy in texture. Add what you'd like but I highly recommend the roasted blueberries!

Plain Vanilla Ice Cream Base

2 cups 2% Lactaide milk

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

6 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1 vanilla bean split (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate shavings

1 tablespoon roasted cocoa nibs

Roasted blueberries, see recipe below

In a medium saucepan combine milk, sugar, corn syrup, and the vanilla bean. Whisk together and cook over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. While you are waiting on your milk, whisk together your egg yolks and cornstarch in a medium bowl until they are combined and pale in color. When your milk reaches a simmer, slowly drizzle it into your eggs while whisking constantly. After you've added about half the milk, switch directions and start whisking your egg mixture into the milk. Put the pan back on medium heat and cook while stirring constantly until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, or about 170 degrees.

Pour your custard through a fine mesh strainer into a good storage container. Add in the heavy cream and vanilla extract if you are not using a bean. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight if you can wait.

While you are waiting for your custard to chill, roast your blueberries. You want plenty of time for them to cool before folding into your finished ice cream. See recipe below.

Churn ice cream base according to your specific machine, in my Kitchen Aid, this took 30 minutes on speed 2.

Once complete, transfer to a freezer safe container and fold in the chocolate and cocoa nibs then dollop the roasted blueberries in and swirl them in. Make sure you spread them evenly; chucks of blueberries will freeze hard and become icy. 

Chill for an hour or two before serving.

Roasted Blueberries

2 cups frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put your blueberries into a roasting pan and drizzle with the honey. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until berries have popped. Remove them from the oven and pour through a fine mesh strainer. Use a medium bowl below the strainer to catch the extra juice; this makes a great sauce for your ice cream later. The solid blueberries left is what we will swirl into your ice cream.

Enjoy!