Nickel and Dimeing Summer

Out at the shop, we occasionally have days where we have to work hard for every penny that makes it to the cash drawer. We call them "Nickel and Dime Days" because that's how it all seems to come in. It has occurred to me that this is a Nickel and Dime Summer and Mother Nature is going to make us work for every single moment.

I'm on a quest to scrape as much summer out of August as I can and I'm starting with homemade ice cream. This is Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream and while the flavor was Husband's suggestion, I'm quite proud of how I executed it. This is very rich and creamy and a small dish of it was quite satisfying. There are no eggs in this one, but there is cheese and sour cream and the flavor is supremely cheesecake-like. Way better than any commercial cheesecake ice cream I've had to date.

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

• 6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 c sour cream
• 2 tbs Amaretto
• Blueberry Sauce (recipe follows)
• 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs, finely crushed

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and beat until fluffy then add sour cream, cream, and Amaretto beating until thick and smooth. Refrigerate at least 4 hours but ideally 8. The blueberry sauce needs to chill too, so make this now.

When all the parts have chilled, freeze according to the directions of your ice cream maker. After the ice cream has solidified, transfer to your storage container and pour blueberry sauce and graham cracker crumbs on top of ice cream. Gently swirl together to get a marbled effect, but don't stir so much that the mixture is homogenized. Put in the freezer to firm up.

Blueberry Sauce

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp corn starch
• 1/4 c water
• 1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup blueberries

Place all ingredients in a small pot, bring to a boil while stirring. Make sure all the sugar has dissolved, then remove from heat and chill at least 4 hours or better still 8 hours.