Baking With Buddy: Homemade Black Raspberry Ice Cream

Really this blog post should be titled “The Three-Day Homemade Black Raspberry Ice Cream,” because that is legitmately how long it took to make. Seriously, if you think you’ll make this to satisfy a craving, get in your car and go get some Breyer’s from the grocery store because this is not an immediate gratification thing. However, if you’re ready to muster up every ounce of patience you have and make some amazing ice cream (it really is amazing), then proceed.

I mentioned in my previous post that my husband and I recently went berry picking. In addition to picking blueberries (which I used to make Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins), we also picked black raspberries which I just knew had to be turned into some kind of frosty treat. Enter the homemade ice cream recipe.

I found the recipe via Pinterest and you can view it here. I will say, I found it to be a little light on instructions so I’ll fill in the blanks using what I learned.

To begin, before you even gather ingredients, figure out what ice cream maker you’re going to use. I used the KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment which fits on a KitchenAid mixer. I actually received it almost five years ago as a wedding present from my husband, but this was my first time using it since it’s fairly large and I never had enough space for it in our old freezer. Now this is where the first day of the three days comes into play. I didn’t realize it needed to be fully frozen before using, as in sitting in the freezer for a good 18 hours before it can be used to make ice cream. I left mine in the freezer for a good day, day and a half to make sure it would be fully frozen.

Now you can move on to gathering ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 cups whipping cream (I used heavy whipping cream)
2 cups whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
pinch of salt
2 cups strained black raspberry puree (This needs to be made ahead of time. See why this thing takes multiple days?)

To make the puree, start off by cleaning and drying your raspberries. I washed mine and then laid them on a paper towel to dry. Then, add them to a food processor (could probably also use a blender). Add 2 tbsp of water to the processor and mix until pureed. Then, using a sieve (I used a mesh strainer), separate the puree from the seeds. I will say I thought I nailed this one, but in eating my ice cream I occasionally find a seed. Go figure.

Now, set your puree aside and move on to the next steps.
1. Combine milk, cream, 1 cup sugar , vanilla and the salt in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Heat until almost boiling and then remove from heat.
2. In a separate bowl whisk or use a mixer to beat the eggs and remaining 1/3 cup sugar until it reaches the ribbon stage. (I had no idea what the ribbon stage was, so I googled it. Basically, it’s where the mix starts to thicken and leave that nice, drizzly ribbon off the whisk.)
3. While still whisking/beating pour the warm milk into the eggs and beat until combine. Pour the egg milk mixture back into the clean pot and heat over medium until the mixture thickens while stirring constantly. This takes a little over ten minutes.
4. Take the custard off the heat and stir in the raspberry puree.
5. Chill custard in fridge with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. (She suggests in the recipe to chill overnight, which I did, but unfortunately I put it in the freezer, not the fridge. No worries. I just had to let it defrost and then warm it back up to a nice, melted consistency before putting it in the ice cream maker.)6. Then churn in an ice cream maker and either enjoy it as a soft serve ice cream right away or put it in your freezer to firm up and enjoy as scoops of ice cream. (The time you churn it will largely depend on your ice cream maker. I think mine was something like 10 minutes.)

Once churned, I put mine in a bowl and placed it in the freezer to firm up a little before eating. Doesn’t it look amazing?

I have to say, even though it took three days, it was definitely worth it. The ice cream was amazing, far better than anything I could have went to the store and purchased. Plus, it was neat to take something handpicked from the plant and turn it into a dessert. I’d like to make it again with a different type of handpicked fruit, maybe peaches or strawberries. Let me know if you try it and what fruit you decide to use. I’m open to suggestions.

I do not own this recipe. This post merely represents my experience with it.