No one told me that nursing a baby would make my sweet tooth rage more than ever. Luckily it also means I'm burning a whole bunch of extra calories. Not that they end up being "extra" around here, since I fill free time by making batches of ice cream and then eating it all. Awesome.
This time I used the sweet cream base from the ultimate ice cream masters: Ben and Jerry. A few tweaks and additions and you have a totally amazing ice cream treat that will disappear in a day. I was tempted to actually use the ice cream to make an ice cream pie, but it didn't last that long. Oops.
Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie Ice Cream
(because for some reason I can't ever make an ice cream with a short name)
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 pints blueberries, preferably wild or at least locally picked
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbls. butter, melted
Preparation:
Toss blueberries with lime juice and 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl. Refrigerate for two or three hours, tossing every 30 minutes or so. Drain juice from the berries and set aside. Add blueberries to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until almost pureed. A few chunks of berry should remain.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a whisk and a big bowl) beat eggs until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar and beat another few minutes to combine. Continue beating and add cream and coconut milk until well blended. Add juice from the berries and blend again until well combined. Fold blueberries into the cream mixture. Place this bowl into the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and press into the bottom of a baking dish (it will be crumbled, so don't sweat the aesthetics!). Bake until crisp, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool. Crumble cooled crust into pieces.
Spread coconut in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven and every few minutes toss coconut as it toasts until it is evenly golden brown. Remove and cool.
Set up your ice cream maker and process the blueberry cream mixture according to your maker's instructions. (If you have a KA ice cream attachment this just means setting the speed to STIR, pouring in the mixture slowly, then letting it run for 25-30 minutes). In the last few minutes of processing, add toasted coconut and crust crumbles. Pour soft set ice cream into an airtight container and freeze until firm.
