03 Jul Cherry & Blueberry Crisp Ice Cream

I’m currently sitting on a teeny tiny, ten-row propeller airplane, en route to Rochester, NY where we’ll be spending the next four days with Steve’s family at their cottage on Keuka Lake. This post, my “appropriate for a 4^th of July party” recipe, is going to be a bit late (sorry!) as I was counting on in-flight wifi, which they apparently don’t offer on toy-sized airplanes. (#firstworldproblems)

But then again, I can’t blame the lack of wifi as my tardiness is pretty in line with my life as of late. The last few (okay, six) months I’ve found myself constantly feeling like I’m just trying to keep up. 2015 has proven to be the most non-stop year yet and the continual grind of well, life, (work, bake, blog, work, social, bake, travel) has me in dire need of a little recharge time at the lake. Seriously, what did I do with all the free time I used to have?

Just a few more hours until I’m sitting on a big wooden porch, staring at the calm waters of Keuka with nothing to do but drink a little wine and eat all the “white hots” (Zweigle’s hot dogs, a Rochester, NY favorite) that I can fit in my belly. So far summer is the only time of year I’ve been brave enough to visit because winter in Upstate New York is hella COLD, and even now I’ve packed a carry-on of sweaters and long-sleeved shirts for chilly evenings spent sitting around the campfire – tough life, I know.

But really, the part I am MOST excited about is that if all goes as planned, I’ll be going on my first blueberry picking adventure! <—– Things we don’t have in Texas. I have visions of reporting back to airport security on our way out of town on Monday, fingers and lips stained purple, and thick, sticky juice leaking from my carryon because who can bare to leave behind freshly picked blueberries?

Speaking of blueberries – let’s talk ice cream, shall we?

So, I realize I’m about 1 million years late to hop on the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream train, and since I’m literally the last person on earth to try it you definitely don’t need to hear this, but holy ice cream shitballs the stuff is good. Like, life changing, throw-every-other-pint-of-ice-cream-in-my-freezer-into-the trash-because-it-will-never-be-as-good, good.

Just kidding, I would never throw away ice cream.

But, really. Once upon a time (like, yesterday) I considered myself a forever loyal to egg-based ice cream kind of girl. Custard, through and through. But presently I’m sitting here wondering how I’ll ever go back to the “old stuff”. Things will never be the same. Jeni’s is just that good.

This recipe uses Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream’s base which instead of eggs, uses a combination of corn starch and cream cheese to impart the thick, smooth texture that is expected from a good ice cream. The result is an intensely creamy, scoopable ice cream with just a hint of cream cheese flavor, present enough to remind your palate of rich, delicious cheesecake but not so overpowering as to take away from the add-ins.

In this case, I’ve added in all of the components of a classic fruit crisp – my favorite summer dessert aside from, well, ice cream. Both cherry and blueberry compotes – my ideal balance of tart and sweet — made from summer’s freshest are swirled with the vanilla-spiked base and then studded with freshly-baked, golden oatmeal crumble for crunch and irresistible toasty flavor. And while the colors of the berry swirl end up blending together into a deep shade of purple, berry crisp is as about as American as apple pie so let’s just agree to call this one patriotic and proceed to stuff our faces, mmm-kay?

Wishing you and your families a wonderful 4^th of July! May your weekend be filled with hot dogs, ice cream, fireworks and the best of company!

A Few Notes About This Recipe:

I used cherries & blueberries for this recipe but you could use any mix of summer fruit you’d like — raspberries, blackberries, strawberries or even peaches would all be great in the recipe. Just make sure to start with two cups of fresh fruit (chopped if your going with strawberries or peaches) before cooking down into a compote. 

Keep a very close eye on the ice cream base while it’s on the stove. It can boil up and over VERY quickly…trust me, I learned this the hard way. 

You will likely have extra crumb topping. Don’t throw it away, it will keep in the freezer for up to a month (maybe two) so you can use it to top ice cream, yogurt and fresh fruit all summer long!

RELATED POSTS:

Blueberry Lemon & Thyme Crisp in a Jar Four Berry Crisp with Oatmeal Cookie Crumble Sweet Corn & Candied Hatch Chile Ice Cream Piña Colada Coconut Milk Ice Cream {Dairy Free}