In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation declaring the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day and designated July to be National Ice Cream Month.  It coincides with our own proclamation naming this year, 2011, as The Year of the Ice Cream.  As you know, Chris has been the diligent ice cream maker, churning ice cream at least once a week.  Today, to mark the Day, Month, and Year of the Ice Cream, it was my turn to create a cold concoction – Razzleberry Ice Cream.  My inspiration for this flavor came from Marie Callenders’ Razzleberry Pie, which is made with blackberries and raspberries.

The recipe I used was adapted from David Lebovitz’s Raspberry Ice Cream, found in his book, Perfect Scoops.  Since the berries are not cooked, their fresh flavors are maintained.  The mixture of the blackberries and raspberries created a beautiful color, which is an unusual hue for ice cream.  The silky, smooth custard-style ice cream is rich and delicious.  For added crunch, I also mixed in roughly chopped Dark Chocolate Crisps from Trader Joe’s.

One taste of this ice cream and you’ll be screaming for more!!

Razzleberry Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Crisps
Makes 2 pints

Ingredients:
1½ cups half-and-half
1 cup  granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1½ cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
¾ cup each of strained blackberry and raspberry purées (from fresh or thawed frozen berries)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
to taste, chopped Dark Chocolate Crisps or chocolate chips
about 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)

Note: Xanthan gum, fermented glucose or sucrose, acts as a thickener and stabilizer in ice cream.  It prevents the formation of ice crystals and produces a creamy mouthfeel so less butterfat and/or egg yolks need to be used to produce a good texture.  It makes ice cream “scoopable.”

Method:
Warm the half-and-half, pinch of salt and about half of the sugar in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.

In a separate medium bowl, vigorously whisk together the egg yolks with the other half of the sugar. Slowly pour the warm liquid into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Vigorously whisk in the xanthan gum, if using, and quickly pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream.  Mix in the blackberry and raspberry purées and lemon juice, then stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator, but to preserve the fresh berry taste, churn the ice cream within four hours of making the mixture.  Add the chopped chocolate a little at a time once the custard base has started to churn in the ice cream maker.

Adapted from Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz, Ten Speed Press, 2010.

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