If the blueberries are sweet use ½ cup of sugar. If they are not sweet use ¾ cup of sugar.

In a saucepan bring blueberries, ½-¾ cup of sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a boil over moderate heat, mashing the berries with a potato masher and stirring. Stir frequently, simmer 5 minutes.

Cool slightly.

In a blender purée the mixture.

Strain.

Add the crème de cassis, stir, and chill overnight.

Beat the ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar & cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Bring the cup of milk to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. (Microwave for 2 minutes 20 seconds.) Slowly beat the hot milk into the cheese mixture.

Pour the entire mixture back into the pan and place over low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Slowly raise the heat until the mixture boils. Be careful or you will scramble the egg.

Remove from the heat and pour the hot cheese custard through a strainer into a 4 cup measure.

Allow the custard to cool slightly, then stir in the lemon zest, 1¼ cups of cream, and crème de cassis.

Cover and chill overnight.

Next Day:
30 minutes before starting the ice cream maker, put the blueberry purée into freezer.

Stir the chilled custard.

Make ice cream according to the ice cream machine manufacturer's  instructions.

Add the crumbled graham crackers to the machine when the ice cream is semi-frozen. Allow the machine to mix in the crackers.

Turn off the machine and remove the mixing blades.

Note: you probably won't use all of the blueberry purée.

By hand, stir in the ice cold blueberry purée. Or, if creating individual portions from the start, put a little of the custard in each cup, then some of the blueberry purée and then top off with more custard.

Freeze.

Makes 1 quart

"The results were incredible. I used mountain grown wild blueberries out of my freezer and skipped the liquer because I didn't have it." Becky

"This is great!" Drew

© 2004 Drew Faber. All rights reserved. Used by permission.