5.09.2010

I scream, you scream..... for Blueberry Ice Cream!

My downfall. Ice cream. That's it in a nutshell. But let's not dwell on that right now; instead, scroll down and take a gander at that ice cream color! And where else would you find this color? On my pink shirt, on my rubber spatula and on the white colander I used. Yes, blueberry ice cream reminders are everywhere. Permanently, probably. And I was was warned too.

I know everyone adores David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop, but my kitchen dessert guru Maida Heatter has some marvelous ice cream and sorbet recipes in several of her cookbooks as well. I've made nearly all of them over the years and to date my favorite is Palm Beach Orange Ice Cream, with a close second going to Pumpkin Ice Cream. Maida also has a recipe for Gin Ice Cream which is quite mild and tastes divine with fruit. But it doesn't take an interesting photo; we can rave on and on about a recipe, but if the photo does not look enticing or at least interesting, nobody's going to give it a chance.  Right?

Lately, Daring Bakers have been making Burnt Sugar ice cream. It looks marvelous, but Nancy at The Dogs Eat the Crumbs says that Thomas Keller's recipe in Ad Hoc is lots better (and, from what I read, his chocolate chip cookies are THE BEST) so that recipe is next on my to-make list, once I work off the calories as a result of this posting.  Sigh.


One ice cream I'd never made was Maida's Blueberry ice cream and because she raves about how wonderful it is, (smooth/creamy/rich/deluxe/delicious are her exact words) I made it last weekend. We've had a couple weeks of 90° + weather, so summer is upon us in Florida and that spells ice cream to me.
Maida Heatter's instructions say: "the blueberries will stain both rubber and wooden spatulas; don't use anything you will feel sad about if this happens." So I have nobody to blame but myself. I didn't mind the spatula and colander, but I could kick myself for not wearing an apron, preferably the oldest one I own. Popping those hot blueberries on the side of the pan caused all sorts of trouble with my pink shirt, so be careful if you try this recipe. (I'm presoaking as I write this; I live in hope.)

The results? The blueberry ice cream was perfect. Every description Maida used was spot on. The flavor was  ambrosial. This recipe is really a keeper and the red/purple color makes such a beautiful presentation. It doesn't freeze too hard and isn't excessively sweet either. I loved it plain, but happened to have some pomegrante arils and they gave it an interesting kick. And perhaps made the photo more enticing?


Blueberry Ice Cream
From Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts


Ingredients:

2 one pint boxes fresh blueberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons kirsch, crème de cassis or brandy (I used crème de cassis)

Method:


Wash and drain the berries. Place them in a wide and heavy saucepan or frying pan. Add the sugar and stir to mix. Cover, place over low heat and cook for 5 minutes to soften the berries a little and partially melt the sugar. Then raise the heat to moderate, uncover the pan, stir until the mixture comes to a boil and let boil for 5 minutes, stirring and pressing the berries against the sides of the pan to mash them.

Set aside to cool for a few minutes, then strain through a  large-mesh stainer. Do not use a strainer that has fine openings because even with a coarse strainer some of the the fruit will not go through. ( I used a colander, unfortunately a white colander, but it worked perfectly.) However, press through as much as you can.

Place the puréed berry mixture in the freezer or refrigerator until very cold. Stir in the salt, cream, lemon juice, and kirsch, crème de cassis or brandy. If the mixture is less than extremely cold, chill it some more in the freezer or refrigerator. This is important.


Freeze in a churn, following manufacturer's directions. Because of the alcohol, this does not freeze too hard to serve directly from the freezer.

                                                  *****************************

P.S. I have a really exciting giveaway coming up for Father's Day! Stay tuned.

89 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous color, Barbara. Where did you find pomegranates this season? I looked for them everywhere the other day. Happy Mother's Day!

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  2. Gorgeous photo. Fantastic looking ice cream. Great job!

    Cheers!

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  3. Gorgeous blueberry ice cream! I can feel that summer to coming your way.

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  4. That is a gorgeous color. I would almost eat it, it looks so good. (I don't like blueberries)

    Perfect scoop!

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  5. It looks fantastic! I'll bet it was delicious, thanks!

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  6. This looks magazine-worthy! Gorgeous and worth losing pretty much any item of clothing to. I'd love a scoop (or two) right now!

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  7. Nisrine: I found a package of the arils in my local supermarket!

    Lazaro Cooks: It was delicious!

    Ellie: Summer has arrived in Florida. Heat and humidity.

    Lyndsey: It's very strong of blueberries so I guess it won't be for you. Try the burnt sugar ice cream!

    Debbi: It was!

    Samantha: Wish I had some left.

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  8. Barbara - Happy Mother's Day!

    Amazing color! I LOVE ice cream too. My dad used to give it to me for my bedtime snack. I blame him for my sweet tooth. I so want David Lebovitz's cookbook but I seriously do NOT need another cookbook.

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  9. Me encanta el árandano y los helados mejor aún
    Un abrazo
    Edith
    La brujita

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  10. I'm with you. About the only time I have dessert is ice cream. An occasional brownie sneaks in.

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  11. Ice cream is my most serious guilty pleasure. I can limit myself to one piece of cake. But ice cream knows no bounds.

    This is SO worth getting blueberries all over your shirt for! That color is gorgeous, and if you made it then I know it must be tasty!

    Happy mother's day!

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  12. Never had blueberry ice cream, but your picture makes me want some now! What a gorgeous color! Great picture!

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  13. Oh how yummy Barbara, you blueberry ice-cream looks delicious.
    I would like to eat a bowl of it right now.

    I hope that you had a lovely Mothers day and I wish you a great week ahead.
    Hugs
    Carolyn

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  14. colours just blow me away....and your ice cream looks absolutely exotic esp with the poms dribbled over!

    u have such a way :))

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  15. How beautiful! Ice cream is my downfall too. Ice cream and hot krispy kreme donuts... and macarons... and little pastry thingys...
    Oh, where was I? The ice cream you made is so pretty. I've got to start using my ice cream maker this summer.
    *kisses* HH

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  16. Oh my goodness, I'm totally drooling over this! The colour is just so attractive. Btw, are you using the ice-cream maker for this recipe?
    Have a nice day!
    REgards, Kristy

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  17. I was just thinking that I should make some blueberry ice cream the other day. I am glad to have your advice before I do though. Your ice cream looks lush :)

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  18. Barbara, the color is perfect. I wish I still had my ice cream maker. I never used it very much and gave it away to make room for a panini press, which I love. But you've made me think I made a mistake....
    Sam

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  19. i almost wouldn't mind that color adorning my kitchen and clothes--it's just gorgeous. i love the look, i love your description, and i know i'd love the ice cream itself. perfect here-comes-summer recipe, barbara!

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  20. Julie: I'm running out of cookbook space too!

    Edith: Blueberries and ice cream are a perfect pairing.

    Lea Ann: I am not a chocoholic, so ice cream is my biggest downfall.

    Joanne: I know. Spoonful after spoonful and the next thing you know, the container is empty!

    Dishes Done: It was a lovely ice cream.

    Carolyn: I wish I had some left!

    Zurin: I know, the color is so vivid.

    HH: You are so funny! I don't seem to get the urge to make ice cream until summer. Eating it is a different matter!

    Kristy: Yes, I use the one where you put the container in the freezer over night.

    Jacqueline: Guard your clothes!

    Sam: I gave my old one away too, but then the kids gave me this one for Christmas a few years ago.

    Grace: But it was my favorite pink shirt! Still worth it though.

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  21. It was 30º up NYC way last night so my desire for ice cream is at a low ebb... this is sounds brilliant when I warm up though. I love the purple splatters( and a gorgeous purple it is), like war wounds (unless it's you favorite shirt) they are badges of honor!

    Sorry I missed the art show. Had work to finish... but will stop by the gallery soon and say hi to your daughter!

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  22. Hey Barbara, the color of this ice cream is certainly perfect-beautiful even! I like the idea of a seasonal blueberry ice cream too. I've never had blueberry ice cream, but it sounds so good...

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  23. That is drop-dead gorgeous! I can't wait to make this when the weather warms up! I'm one of those weirdos who can't eat ice cream unless it's summer.

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  24. That does it! I'm off to buy an ice cream freezer. I'm not going through another summer without one. This does look so very good.

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  25. Barbara

    Most of Maida's recipes are spot on and this one looks so beautiful! Perfect color and the taste has got to follow suit with the ingredients you used. BRavo

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  26. I had to scroll quickly... MJ would definitely want me to make that, and I'm not making anything sweet these days!

    Fingers crossed that the shirt comes clean...

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  27. So jealous that you've got summer weather! I just arrived in Illinois, thinking it would be warm but it's unfortunately not!
    I would, however, have some of that ice cream even in freezing temps...looks super creamy!

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  28. Deana: Brrrr. But it will get warmer soon!

    Stella: This was my first experiment with blueberry ice cream. It was delish.

    TKW: I agree...but it's really warm here right now. Perfect ice cream weather!

    Cathy: I went without one for a long time and complained so the kids finally got me one!

    Joumana: Maida's directions are detailed and exact, aren't they? You just cannot mess them up!

    Chan: I took a mouthful and gave it to my son!

    Lucie: There are some wonderful advantages to living in Florida. One disadvantage is coming soon: high temps and high humidity.

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  29. 90 deg. is definitely ice cream weather! Yours is soooo beautiful. I need to add this one to my pile of ice creams to make.

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  30. I've never had blueberry ice cream, but I know I'd love it.

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  31. It just looks amazing...so fresh !! I love the photo too !!!
    Left an answer ab. dulce de leche vs. burnt sugar in my blog...
    Let's open an icecream parlor!

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  32. Wow, it's gorgeous! I love your addition of crème de cassis!

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  33. And don't worry about Dallas Jean. The Blond Duck doesn't write violent tales.

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  34. See now I keep resisting buying the ice cream maker then you post something like this. You are making a weak man out of me.

    Looks/sounds wonderful!

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  35. It is nice to see you,
    I scream,
    you scream,
    We scream for happy cream!
    just kidding!

    fun post,
    Happy Belated Mother's Day!

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  36. oh wow, i wouldn't be able to resist such a beautiful ice cream! well done!

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  37. Your ice cream is stunning Barbara - congrats! I've never made it myself and don't have a maker but the idea of those flavours and coulours makes me want to rush out and buy one.

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  38. Lynn: We have a small cold front moving through today, it will lower our temps to 85. We have five LONG months of this to come.

    Blonde Duck: I won't worry...I know the Pond won't get violent!

    Cristina: I'm in with the ice cream parlor!

    Natasha: It seems to go perfectly with blueberries.

    Bryan: My kids gave me one a couple years ago when I told them how much I missed making my own.

    Jingle: Ah yes, we all scream for ice cream!

    Teresa: Thanks, it was delicious.

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  39. This is a lovely color, and the gin ice cream sounds great too! Now, I'm interested in churning my way through her recipes. Hope your pink shirt becomes pink again!

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  40. You can send some of that hot weather over my way! Your poor pink shirt! I'm always messing up my clothes when I'm in the kitchen. What a great shot of your ice cream. It looks magnificent!

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  41. Hello my favorite chef! I'm embarrassed to admit that I received an ice cream maker for my birthday at least 3 years ago and have never even opened the box! Why, I have no idea, because I love ice cream...and boy does blueberry ice cream sound goooooooooooood!!!

    Hugs ~

    :) T

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  42. The color of this ice cream is just stunning, Barbara. I agree, the arils look so pretty on top. I bet this is perfectly refreshing for summer!

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  43. Oh, that looks positively delicious, Barbara! I will be trying this for sure! What a gorgeous color it is.

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  44. Growing up in Sweden blueberry icecream was my favorite icecream, and i have never come across it here in the US. I have no idea why. So thank you for sharing this recipe. I am going home to make this.

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  45. Barbara,
    I can't get over the color. Wow! I love ice cream, I was just thinking about having a dish of store bought (sigh) when I saw your post in my inbox. I just wish it was a scoop of this.
    your teasing me!
    Pam

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  46. oh but the mess was all worth it looks delish

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  47. My husband's grandmother lived in Maine; whenever we visited her we always ate blueberry ice cream at a local ice cream parlor. I'll bookmark this - it sounds amazing!

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  48. I don't know how you managed it, but you've actually made the ice cream look wonderful. It's really hard to photograph the blue and black fruit ices. You did a fabulous job. I'm sure it tastes every bit as good as it looks. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  49. Wow...I love this ice cream. Beautiful colour. I know I'm going to eat lots of ice cream this summer.

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  50. Hi Barbara,

    I've just come across your blog - it is wonderful.

    Just love the ice-cream (although there is ice outside here, so not at the moment!!!)

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  51. Oh! My heart! This is awesome. Real cream, real sugar, REAL fresh blueberries. It can't get any better than this!

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  52. Photographing ice cream is so hard but you make it look so delicious! I like the idea of putting pomegranate arils on top too! :D

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  53. Lisa: The gin ice cream is quite mild; you'd never know there was gin in it.

    Ungourmet: You are so right. I mess up so many shirts in the kitchen!

    Tracey: Shame on you! Get it out and use it when next you entertain!

    Faith: It's such fun to make ice cream; the blogs are filled with recipes too.

    Susan: It is lovely, isn't it?

    Delishhh: I remember an ice cream store in Michigan had it when I was a child.

    Pam: Ice cream is so amazingly easy to make. The only time it takes is chilling before churning.

    Rebecca: Yes, it was well worth it.

    Lecia: Ditto Michigan! We had huckleberry ice cream up there!

    Mary: It's hard to get the color right in a lot of photos, isn't it? So often food doesn't look as good in photo. No wonder there are food stylists. Perhaps we should take a class?

    MaryMoh: I am too!

    Brownieville Girl: Welcome! So glad you stopped by.

    Sophia: You are so funny. Real cream, real sugar and real blueberries indeed!

    Lorraine: I was fortunate to find some arils in the market.

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  54. I love this recipe because you can substitute just about any other fruit you like for the blueberries.

    I've just started making home made ice cream with a White Mountain hand crank machine and the kids think it's awesome.

    If you don't make your own ice cream you should give it a try. Here's an interesting article I found that might be helpful to folks thinking about making their own.

    http://worldvillage.com/white-mountain-ice-cream-maker

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  55. It is VERY enticing, and a gorgeous colour to boot. The flavour sounds lovely too, I like a bit of lemon in my fruit. Hope your pink shirt comes out alright.

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  56. The Christmas ornaments can still attend the Pond party!

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  57. I have to leave for work so please forgive me for dropping this here.

    I think I can remove the extra link posted on my blog. It has to wait until I return home from work but I think if I go to the master site, I have control of what goes there.

    Glad you figured it out. Smiles

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  58. How absolutely delish is that? I'm looking forward to the summer proper when I can get berries on the cheap and ice up to my hearts content! And bring on the giveaway......excitedly!

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  59. This is a beautiful color!!! I am craving ice cream....:)

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  60. I love the colour Barbara, your Ice cream look absolutely wonderful and I love the picture, huggs gloria

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  61. Sarah: When I was a child we used this method. And had so much fun. The kind I use now puts the container in the freezer overnight. It freezes within 25 minutes. Simple and makes great ice cream.

    Shaz: It did!

    Blonde duck: They're all asleep in a box in storage, but I do have some photos of them that I posted last Christmas.

    Chaya: I'll check back.

    BD: You'll have to make it yourself. So easy!

    Sophie: I loved it. Can't imagine why I waited so long to make it!

    Ozoz: Giveway will be coming in a week or so.

    Erica: I ALWAYS crave ice cream!

    Gloria: Thanks, Gloria. I had such fun making it.

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  62. I am SO making this when the weather heats up next week (right now it's cold and windy!)

    Hoping your shirt came out okay... :)

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  63. ahhh - gorgeous, Barbara - the pomegranate does make it look mouthwatering and the creme de cassis makes it sound so unique. I love blueberries, and so does my son, but I buy them with trepidation because of the staining - we both have several ruined articles of clothing resulting from his tendency to drop food beside him in his high chair as well as his propensity towards throwing his food towards my shirt (much to the chagrin also of my ivory seagrass rug - not easy to clean!).

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  64. I love the word ambrosial. I think I'll start to use it in daily conversations. The ice cream looks delicious, especially the melty part at the bottom of the dish!

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  65. I did the same thing when I was using pomegrantes, my poor white top...

    This ice cream looks extremely yummy - will have to keep it in mind for next Summer

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  66. Last but not least, can I have some please..this look super yummy and cool, especially best to eat in this kind of hot weather here..

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  67. Blueberries are so delicious! That ice cream must taste heavenly! Perfect for the summertime!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  68. Phoenix: The stains came out of the shirt!

    Laura: Kids are pretty messy with blueberries in the high chair. I remember it well.

    Barbara: It's a great word and describes food like this perfectly.

    Chanel1: What's wrong with us that we keep forgetting to put on an apron?

    Sonia: Wish I could share some with you!

    Rosa: Absolutely perfect summer dessert.

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  69. I also scream for this kind of super délicieus ice creame, just ahave to wait for hoter days and end of diet

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  70. this is making me really want to try making my own ice cream!

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  71. How beautiful! I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can try interesting flavors like this!

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  72. Oh heavens to betsy...I am actually drooling!

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  73. wow. sounds ah-maze-ing ... seems like every time i visit your site i leave a comment starting with WOW. loved the pomegranate flair, btw. my sons and i have a few of these gems each summer just to sit and get some purple-stained fingers and chat on the porch. love it, Barbara!

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  74. YUM! Oh, wow, that does look very creamy. Five scoops for me, please! And those pomegranate seeds are perfect for it, too.

    They had some very interesting ice cream flavor in Japan, many of which I would refuse to try. I wish I had tried the rice and the chestnut. But I would NOT try anything labeled beef tongue or oyster. No siree bob.

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  75. The color of this icecream is just amazing! I would love to try it.

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  76. Wow, that ice creams sounds amazing, and the color is gorgeous. I guess ruining some clothes/spatulas, spoons are worth it when it comes to desserts like this!

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  77. Vanessa: You really should own one. I have a small inexpensive one.

    Evouchette: My diet never ends! Probably because of ice cream like this!

    Simply Life: I hope you do. It's so much fun.

    Shirley: Here's hoping everyone has warm weather soon!

    Linda: Me too!

    JG: Am loving your story!

    Bella: Tongue? Ye gods.

    Sook: It tastes amazing too!

    msmeanie: My shirt is fine now. And really, who cares about a blue spatula?

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  78. Ice-cream is my downfall, too. I'm thinking of making some although it's really cold here!

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  79. This does look positively heavenly! I can't remember ever having blueberry ice cream before, although blueberries are one of my favorite fruits.

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  80. Im sorry, i meant o come here earlier and say hullo and i did but when i reached here my laptop hung:-(((((

    the blueberry icecream is gorgeously something that'll have me i scream...u scream...we all sceam ....Barbara's delicious Ice cream...Lol...
    Bdw,the Jam tart is adapted from DL only ,by Deb at SK.

    Love ur mothers day Post ....its soooooooooooooo cute...
    Mother's Hollandaise Sauce sure is an exciting recipe!!
    and thats a very very beautiful picture..............
    Ur Peaches are a dream , made something with them for Mothers day too:-))
    And in rep to ur prev note, i missed ya too!!!


    And love ur MOthers day post

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  81. You know what - I trust your opinion on this ice cream - it just looks amazing - the vibrancy of the colours. When the weather cools I'll take my ice cream machine out and try it.

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  82. Gorgeous colour! Magnificent actually :)

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  83. Wow, this is so good! And the color is so vivid and tempting!

    Sawadee from Bangkok,
    Kris

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  84. What absolutely gorgeous color and such a spectacular treat. I bet it was beyond a hit!

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  85. Your ice cream looks fantastic! Thanks for the great post and all the side notes for making this delicious ice cream.

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  86. As I own an organic blueberry farm, I see this delicious recipe being made often!!!

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  87. I'm with you Barbara, ice cream is hands down my favorite dessert and I love making my own. Absolutely gorgeous photo of that vivid ice cream color.

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  88. Hello Barbara...ice cream seems to be very popular lately all over the place and not only in the heat of Florida;o)
    I really appreciated your insights on your favourite ice cream recipes. I hate being disappointed especially since I still make my treat the old fashioned way;o)
    The blueberry ice cream looks very promising and I will look forward to that so-called better version of burnt sugar ice cream;D
    This was my first time visiting...I'll have to come back for more. Thank you for sharing and flavourful wishes, Claudia

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