Blueberry Ice Cream

This is a fabulous, fast, and foolproof iced cream that is easily made without the ice cream maker. It is refreshing and perfect…anytime fresh berries are in season. The recipe calls for a juicer, which is a handy kitchen electric to have. If you don't have one, puree the blueberries in a blender or food processor and then put the juice through a sieve to extract the juice from the skins. I use and recommend the sweet plump berries from Driscoll's Organic brand. Their flavor is sweet and true.

Ingredients

2 pint Driscoll's Organic brand blueberries (about a generous 2 cups, juiced to yield about 3/4- to 1-cup fresh juice), plus additional fresh berries to garnish Zest from 1/2 fresh lemon 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Scant 1 cup confectioners' sugar 2 cups heavy whipping cream, plus more if needed Fresh mint sprigs, to garnish.

Preparation

Place the blueberry juice into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the lemon zest and juice, and then the confectioners' sugar. Whisk at low speed to dissolve the confectioners' sugar into the juice. Turn the mixer to medium-high and add the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture on medium high speed until it holds soft peaks. (You may want to place a kitchen towel over the mixer to prevent splattering.)

Pour the mixture into an airtight container (or into silicone molds for individual servings). Cover and freeze until firm. This will take about 3 to 5 hours. Remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh blueberries and mint sprig.

Variation For a more intense blueberry flavor, mix fresh clean blueberries into the iced cream mixture after about one-half hour in the refrigerator. If you put the blueberries in when you first put the cream into the freezer the blueberries will sink to the bottom or your container!