An Abundance of Blueberries

Last week at the local grocery store, the summer crop of blueberries hit, and they were almost giving them away. I bought a LOT more than I needed and decided to get creative, making something beyond the standard blueberry pie or pancakes. At the same time, I was regretting the fact that my ice cream maker had remained unused nearly all summer even though the temperatures are approaching 120 F in Phoenix this time of year. The result of my inspirations was a wonderfully intense blueberry gelato.

For this recipe, I googled "blueberry gelato" to find a basic recipe. After a little tweaking, the recipe was ready to go. The gelato was a welcome accompaniment to some leftover lemon butter cake from the previous night's dinner with friends, and the intense purple color looked great on the plate. Here is the recipe:

Blueberry Gelato

2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and destemmed

1/4 c blueberry preserves

1/4 c water

1/4 t salt

2/3 c sugar

3 egg yolks

2 c whole milk

2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a heavy saucepan, combine the first 4 ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes at a slow boil.

Meanwhile, in a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and the sugar is nearly dissolved, about 5 minutes. Heat the milk in a separate saucepan until hot but not boiling. Slowly pour the milk into the egg yolk and sugar mixture, stirring constantly to avoid "scrambling" the eggs. Return the milk/egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir constantly.

Place the blueberry mixture in a blender with the vent open. Do not cover completely to avoid getting burned! Blend until smooth, using a towel to loosely cover the vent.

Add the blueberry mixture to the custard and let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and refrigerate until cold.

Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. This should take about 25 minutes. When processed, pour the mixture into a cold glass or plastic container, and freeze for at least 2 hours to allow the mixture to firm slightly.

Gelato is best eaten on the day of preparation to savor the silky texture.

Serves 4