Blackberry Ice Cream

I look upon a basic ice cream custard as a blank canvas, just ready to be adorned with any flavour you desire. The custard for making this ice cream was taught to me by a pastry chef over 25 years ago and also can be used as crème Anglaise. A full boil is essential to its success as well as a fast pour of the cream into the egg yolks.

1 ½ cups ( 375 mL) half- and- half cream 1 ½ cups ( 375 mL) whipping cream ½ cup ( 125 mL) sugar pinch of sea salt 8 large egg yolks 3 cups ( 750 mL) fresh blackberries, 1 pound ( 500 g) in weight In a large pot — large is important to prevent the cream from boiling over — combine the creams, sugar and salt. Bring to a full, frothy boil over high heat. The cream must travel up the inside of the pot, as high as it can go. Whisk a little of the boiling cream into the yolks, then pour in the cream all at once, whisking constantly. Perform the custard test: Dip a metal spoon into the mixture then run your finger along the back of the spoon. There should be a clear, straight line where you ran your finger. If not, return the custard to the pot and stir with a rubber spatula over medium- low heat until it passes the custard test or reaches a temperature of 165 F ( 75 C) on an instant- read thermometer. Remove the custard from the heat and strain through a sieve into a clean bowl. You can chill the custard by placing the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice, whisking occasionally until cold, or place in the fridge, whisking occasionally until cold. Place a cup of the custard, and the blackberries, into a blender and purée until smooth. Strain through a sieve back into the bowl of custard, pressing on the purée to extract all the blackberry goodness. Discard the seeds. You can speed up the chilling process by placing the custard into the freezer and stirring it occasionally until it is ice cold but still fluid. Or, refrigerate over night. Churn the ice cream in an ice- cream maker following the manufacturers instructions, but preferably hand- cranked with a group of friends. Note: If you want a milk based ice cream or not the fuss required for the custard base above: Bring 3 cups ( 750 mL) milk and ½ cup ( 125 mL) sugar to a simmer. Stir 3 tbsp. ( 45 mL) cornstarch together with 3 tbsp. ( 45 mL) milk until smooth, then stir into the simmering milk. Stir with a rubber scraper until the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens. Proceed with the straining and cooling, and carrying on as in the above recipe.