The makings of blueberry ice cream

Man, I love ice cream. They say that folks in New England eat more ice cream per capita than anyone else in the world. That seems weird considering how many months of winter we have. Still, any people who think 20 degree weather is perfect for barbecuing should be able to enjoy frozen treats year round.

I've been on a quest to find the perfect recipes for things. I think I've narrowed this down as my favorite ice cream recipe. I'm working with a little Krups electric ice cream maker, which I guess they don't make any more. That's too bad, because it's been a great gadget for the kitchen.

The trick has been finding a base recipe that is tasty and smooth but that makes enough to last longer than one sitting. This is what I've decided on:

Ice Cream Base

• 6 egg yolks
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups of sugar depending on what I'm mixing in
• 1-1/2 cups of milk
• 1-1/2 cups of heavy cream
• 3 tsp vanilla

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and light yellow.
Bring milk and cream to a simmer.
Stir hot milk and cream gradually into egg mixture with a whisk.
Pour the base back into the pan.
Stir constantly over low heat until the mixture thickens to a thin custard consistency.
Let base cool then refrigerate 24 hours.
Freeze in ice cream maker.

It's pretty straight forward. The batch I made today uses wild Maine blueberries which are delicious and in season and the last of my blueberry jam from Stanchfield Farms (insert pitiful sighing here). I use more sugar in the base if I'm adding tart fruit like raspberries or lemon and less with sweet ingredients like cookies or blueberries or caramel. The real trick for me is not to rush the custard part. I'm inclined to turn the heat to high to speed things along and ice cream is not a fast food when you make it yourself. It is worth the effort though, because where else can you get Ben and Jerry's Festivus?