Ever since we became southerners, we've been trying to engage in and embrace southern food. Don't read this wrong, it's been easy. We love it.
One southern staple we were introduced to very quickly after our move is Blue Bell ice cream. Oh my goodness sakes alive! We are hooked! It's hard not to stroll down the freezer aisle and pick out a new flavor every week. We don't do this, though, because neither our wallets nor our bellies can afford it.
Recently, Ben decided on a favorite Blue Bell flavor...Southern Blackberry Cobbler. Good grief, it's good. It's blackberry flavored ice cream with pieces of flaky pie crust. Like many of Blue Bell's scrumptious combinations, sometimes it's difficult impossible to find your favorite in different seasons. We're anticipating this to be taken off the shelves soon, so I wanted to surprise Ben with a homemade version - but with more berries.
It's embarrassing to admit, but this ice cream made me squeal with joy! Ben gave it the seal of approval and claims that he likes it just as much, if not more, than the Blue Bell variety. I was surprised that it came together exactly how I wanted only after the first attempt. My only tip is to allow the scraps of pie crust to freeze mixed in with the ice cream before serving. You don't have to do this if you want to enjoy it right after churning, but Ben and I both agreed that it was better incorporated and tasted more complete this way.
By the way, did you know you can visit Blue Bell and take a tour of their production facility? I'm all over this!
Southern Berry Cobbler Ice Cream
Ingredients
For the berry ice cream:
- ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries
- 1 handful fresh blueberries
- 1 handful fresh blackberries
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar , divided
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the pie crust mix-in:
- 1 sheet puff pastry , thawed
- 4 Tablespoons butter , melted
- ¼ to ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, mix together the berries, lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon of the sugar. Heat over medium heat until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, set aside and let cool.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar; set aside. Heat the milk, cream, salt and remaining ¼ cup sugar in a medium saucepan until the sugar is dissolved and the milk is warm. Slowly pour the milk mixture in a thin stream into the egg yolks, constantly whisking to temper the eggs. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium, stirring frequently, until the mixture is slightly thickened into a custard.
- Set a strainer over a medium bowl. Pour the warm custard through the strainer into the bowl. Cool over an ice bath (set the bowl of custard into a larger bowl of ice water).
- Add the vanilla and berries into the cooled custard, whisking to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Freeze in your ice cream make according to manufacturer's directions.
For the pie crust mix-in:
- Prepare the pie crust scraps while the custard is cooling in the fridge, before freezing. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the puff pastry on a baking sheet. Brush the surface evenly with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, transfer the puff pastry to a cutting board and slice into smaller than bite-sized pieces. Line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper. Lay the pie crust scraps in a single layer on the baking sheet and freeze for at least 2 hours, or up until it is time to freeze the ice cream.
- When transferring the just-processed ice cream into the storage container, fold in the pie crust pieces. Freeze ice cream for 1 hour before serving.
